The Amplitude, Frequency and Resistance of the Soul Bond
by Council
Summary: A Love Story that doesn't start with love. A Soul Bond that doesn't start with a kiss. Love is not handed out freely. Love is earned. When Harry and Ginny are Soul Bonded, they discover that love is not initially included, and that it is something that must be fought for. H/G SoulBond! RealisticDevelopment! EndOfCOS!
1. The Plastic of Eden

**The Amplitude, Frequency and Resistance of the Soul Bond**

Part One: The Resistance

Chapter One: The Plastic of Eden

* * *

The scorching sun beat down upon the pristine garden, in which each leaf glistened with beads of moisture on their waxy surface, every blade of lively green grass was trimmed to perfection and not a single plant grew that was not desired. It was like looking at a plastic model of the Garden of Eden. Undeniably, it was beautiful, but it lacked that which a garden thrived on; Life.

One lone boy worked with a, pair of familiar, well worn, yet still sharp shears, trimming the edges of the hedge. He let go of the tool with one sweaty, dirt smeared hand and brushed a drop of sweat that was rolling down his brow. In the process he flicked away stray strands of raven hair that were slipping into his eyes. Fingers that were rough and calloused from an excess of labour patted down his unkempt hair that stuck up at weird and infuriating angles.

The boy gave up on the task of flattening his hair, and returned to the more urgent task of trimming the hedge. If he wasn't finished the garden before the afternoon he would be eating just half a meal for dinner tonight. With a concentration unheard of for a twelve year old boy, he began clipping the expansive hedge that boxed in the the pristine plastic garden.

However, he was still just twelve years old, and his concentration wavered for just a moment when he saw life within the plastic. A single budding flower, barely taller than the boy's hand was hidden away from sight within the recesses of the hedge. He had seen that species of flower more times than he could remember, and every time he had been forced to tear it out of the ground, and condemn it to its death. It was a weed after all, the definition of a plant that was unwanted, even if it appeared beautiful to someone else.

Sighing, the boy knelt down, and reached his hand past the pristine hedge, and grabbed the flower between his fingers. Ugly orange petals crowned the young stem, brightly defying the perfect order of the plastic garden. In its resistance to grow under such conditions, the boy though the flower was quite beautiful, despite the garish colour. Despite this, he didn't hesitate for a moment before tugging at the flower.

He frowned when the plant resisted, the roots grappling firmly in the dirt, refusing to be removed. He leaned in further, trying to wrap his fingers around the stem, but flinched when the hedge left violent scratches on his exposed arm and shoulder. Frustrated, he squeezed the flower, with its obnoxious, garish orange petals that refused to be pulled away, and yanked at it with all his might.

"Damnit," he swore, when his hand slipped off of the flower, thorns imbedded in his fingers, and blood seeping out slowly. He lurched backwards, his feet got tangled in the shears, and he stumbled, landing heavily on the countless blades of grass. Defeated, his back to the ground, he stared up at the blinding sun, which refused to grant him mercy.

Why did the flower resist? At that moment the boy understood why his uncle called this plant a weed, an unwanted specimen. With its spiky thorns, its ugly, bright, orange petals, its stubborn nature, what was there not to hate?

And then the boy began laughing. Not because he found the situation funny, but because the whole thing was ironically sad.

_Shut up Harry, I'm not in the mood for your whining._

The boy stopped laughing, for indeed, his name was Harry, Harry James Potter to be precise, and when the voice in his head gave him an order, it was often best to comply. However, talking back and thinking back were currently two different concepts.

_You try gardening for a whole day without any water breaks and not whine._

_It's your own decision to not take water breaks. What your uncle doesn't know won't hurt._

_And what he does know will hurt me a whole lot._

_He wouldn't actually hurt you, Harry._

_That's what you know…_

_Just get out of my head, please?_

_Trust me Ginny, if I could I would._

There was no sudden silence when the conversation ended, because the conversation had been silent to begin with. Harry had been having a mental conversation with an eleven year old red headed witch. Some would call him crazy, he would rather call himself magic.

_I can still hear you._

Harry sighed as he stood back up to his feet, and placed his thorn prickled fingers in his mouth, trying to suck the blood and pain away.

_Well, what do you want me to do about that?_

Harry pulled the remaining thorns out with his teeth and spat them onto the ground. He knelt down, groaning at the weariness in his knees, and retrieved the shears. With the sharp tool still latched in his hand, he reached into the hedge and positioned the blades around the stem of the flower.

_I don't know Harry! I don't care either just do something! I hate you in my head!_

Harry held the shears in place around the flower that resisted, but his hand shook slightly as he hesitated.

_I hate you too…_

_I hate you more!_

_I should have just left you in the Chamber!_

What was possibly the first time since Harry had rescued Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets, there was complete silence within his mind. He angrily tightened his grip around the shears that were now shaking violently.

_I'm sorry, that crossed the line._

_Just leave me alone!_

Ginny's thoughts resounded in his head painfully. They were brimming with emotion. Fear, as she remembered the Chamber, despair, as she realized their predicament, anger, as she recalled Harry's words, and finally, basic teenage frustration. Harry could visualize Ginny storming out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her as she fled the scene.

Except that she was still there. She was still in his head. It was impossible for either one of them to leave, and had been since he had saved her from Tom Riddle.

* * *

The Basilisk fang fell out of Harry's hand as his body went limp. It was over. The Basilisk was slain, the sword of Gryffindor was still lodged within its skull, and now Tom Riddle was gone, the Basilisk fang still lodged within his diary. The parts of Ginny's soul that had been used to feed Tom remained however. A faint, orange glow, tinted with gold, hovered in the air, reminiscent of the aurora lights.

Ginny laid on the floor unmoving, her skin a sickly hue, and so only Harry saw the light. He gaped at the pulsing aura blearily, too tired to determine whether it was an illusion or not. After discovering magic was real, he tended to believe phenomenas more readily, which was why he wasn't surprised when he felt the light being sucked towards him.

It was an eerie sensation. Ginny's soul that had been drained out of her body had nowhere to go. Her body was dying, and her soul was searching for a suitable container to reside and survive within, and the only other living being was Harry.

Harry felt something inside him, not an organ, or a bone, or his blood, but something much deeper, sucking Ginny's soul into him. The orange light encompassed his chest, seeping through his tattered shirt, and then into his skin. It continued deeper, not moving through his body, but rather further inside.

Then suddenly, Harry exploded. He screamed in agony as his own soul was torn apart to accommodate Ginny's. One can live with a split soul, but no one can live with more than one soul. The pressure was too much, and Harry's body erupted in a cacophony of magic and soul fragments. The light that left Harry's body was a soothing, aurora green, blended with fierce, pulsing orange.

Harry could literally feel the magic in the air, with the hair on his arms standing upright. It flowed slowly along with the aurora soul light, until it passed over Ginny's unmoving body. With a sudden display of speed, the combination of magic and soul light pierced her chest. The magic resuscitated her body, while the soul light, half Harry's and half Ginny's, filled her insides.

Harry stared at Ginny, still lying on the floor, but no longer sickly pale, with his mouth still open for three long seconds. He would remember them forever after, because since that day, it had been the longest time his mind had ever been silent.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Ginny picked herself up, until her chest was off the ground. She groaned and rubbed her eyes weakly, blinking stupidly as she tried to wash away the fatigue. Her mouth stretched open as she yawned, and she tried to close it, but it was a losing battle. That was all Harry heard through his ears, however…

_Uhh, my back, I'm so sore. What happened to me last night? Actually where am I ri-i-i-ight now, whew that was a big yawn, I'm exhausted. I hope I didn't have another blank out again. Why are my clothes all wet? Don't tell me I fell asleep in a bathroom again. It's a pretty dark bathroom though…_

Suddenly Ginny seemed to regain her senses, and her brown eyes locked onto Harry. She took a quick, panicked breath, and her cheeks flushed bright red. Her mouth opened in surprise, and she appeared to be trying to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. Harry would have said something consoling to her, but he was currently preoccupied with the voice in his mind that had suddenly grown panicked.

_It's Harry! Oh my goodness, it's him, it's actually him. Stop staring at him Ginny. Snap out of it, you have to say something, anything. Damnit, I can't say anything. This is so embarrassing. Look at his clothes, they're all torn up… is that blood! Oh my gosh, he looks just like a hero. Aww, I love him so much._

By this point, Harry had realized that he was overhearing some sort of conversation Ginny was having with herself. Therefore, he began spluttering when he heard her love confession.

_Wait, I heard something! What was that?_

Ginny suddenly started glancing around her, searching for something. She looked rather frightened when she couldn't find anyone talking.

_I wonder whose voice she heard._

_Yours, obviously! Where are you, come out, you're scaring me._

Harry blinked at her as she continued to glance around the room. By now she realized she was not in any normal place in Hogwarts, but that didn't seem to bother her as much as the mysterious voice. A feeling of dread slowly crept over Harry as he realized what might be happening.

_Please don't tell me you can hear this._

_Of course I can hear you talk, I'm talking back to you._

_Then how come your lips aren't moving?_

After Harry thought that, there wasn't quite silence, per say, but there was an absence of any coherent communication. Rather, a jumble of mixed messages and half constructed phrases were sent tumbling into his mind.

"Ginny, are you alright?" Harry asked, concerned when she wrapped her arms around herself protectively in a frantic panic. It even looked like she was scratching herself with her nails.

_I can feel the pain in my arms from my nails, so I'm not dreaming, so what on earth is happening. Harry just spoke to me, I need to reply. He already thinks I'm really weird, I need to say something… wait, I recognize his voice._

_She recognizes my voice?_

_I recognize that voice!_

_But I'm not talking._

_And I'm not listening._

_So what are we doing?_

Green eyes stared at brown eyes, and the totality of their situation hit them. Ginny flung herself up to her feet and began running away from Harry, hyperventilating as she struggled to breathe. Harry was less emotional in his realization, and instead just sat frozen on the floor, his arms wrapped firmly around his knees.

_Not again, not Riddle again, I don't want someone else in my head ever again. Get out. Get out! Get out please!_

_No one can know about the Dursleys. She'll find out everything. No, no, no! What will everyone think of me? Get her out of my head!_

_Get out of my head!_

_Get out of mine!_

"GET OUT!" They both screamed at each other from opposite sides of the cavern. A dead Basilisk lay between them, but their current predicament bothered them both far more.

They stood there in Slytherin's secret chamber, chests heaving as they breathed heavily, trying to comprehend just what had occurred.

_This is the last thing I want._

_That makes two of us, Ginny._

_At least we can agree on something._

They both smirked at each other, each hearing the other's sentiments and realizing that this new development was out of their control. They were both pawns to this mysterious connection that was between them.

_A cord._

Harry stared at Ginny confused. Despite being able to hear her thoughts, it didn't mean that he could decipher her unique way of thinking that took her eleven years to develop. Therefore Harry couldn't follow her train of thoughts, and her sudden statement simply confused him.

_Why are we talking about music all of a sudden?_

_Not a piano chord, a rope cord, something holding us together._

_Yeah, except this thing holding us together never shuts up._

_Fine then! What do you want to call it?_

_Considering it never shuts up, how about a chord?_

_I just said that!_

_No, the other kind of chord._

_Oh, for Merlin's sake, think more clearly, and I mean that literally Harry._

_Sorry_

Harry's apology was sincere. He had been slowly distracted by the realization that the two of them were still indeed within the Chamber of Secrets, and thoughts of escape had clouded his mind. More importantly…

_Is Ron ok?_

_He's fine, just trapped behind some rocks._

_Damn._

_What!_

_It's just a joke Harry. It's just that, we really won't want to see how he reacts to this… chord._

_See, it's catchy, isn't it._

_Technically I did come up with that name._

_No, technically you came up with the rope cord, and I came up with the piano chord._

_Harry! Shut up! I'm not in the mood._

_Right, sorry, I mean, it's not like I saved you from a Basilisk and baby Voldemort._

_Don't say his name._

Harry and Ginny glared at each other. As the mental argument had raged, they had slowly advanced towards each other, and they could now see one another's face clearly, and were separated by the thick body of the dead snake.

_I can see we're going to be having a lot of problems._

Ginny nodded once in agreement. Harry glanced around the room, and realizing there was nothing alive to help them escape, except for Fawkes, who seemed happy enough to simply glide softly in slow circles around the cavern, decided that it was time to leave.

_You read my mind._

_You can say that again._

Harry limped over to the head of the Basilisk, and with as much strength as he could muster in his scrawny arms he began pulling the ruby engraved sword out of the monster. Three solid tugs later the sword crashed to the ground with a clang, and Harry knelt against the Basilisk, breathing heavily. Ginny eyed him disapprovingly.

_My hero…_

_No need to sound so happy._

Together they left towards the exit, Harry leading the way, as Ginny had no memory of her entrance. They followed the dreary, slippery drain pipes, their feet squelching against the faint remains of stagnant water, and struggled desperately to block one another from their mind.

_You know… we don't have to tell my brother._

_He's my best friend Ginny, I can't not tell him._

_I'm his sister, do you know how much I'll have to put up with if he finds out about this chord._

_I don't know Ginny…_

_Harry, this is the boy who gets jealous over breakfast food._

_I still think we should tell him._

_Harry James Potter! You listen to me! We are not going to tell Ronald a single thing about the chord. Understand?_

_Are all women this angry inside?_

_I can hear you thinking Harry, don't push it._

_Fine, but if we're not telling Ron, we're not telling anyone._

_No one at all?_

_No one._

_Not even Dumbledore?_

The conversation paused, even though the hum of their minds activity continued within. Harry glanced at Fawkes, who was lighting the way with his brilliant, burning feathers. Would Dumbledore be disappointed if Harry continued to keep secrets? If Harry had told him about the voices he had been hearing through out the year, perhaps the Basilisk incident would have been solved sooner.

_He should have been able to solve the problem without your help as it is._

_You can't say that. Ron and I only found the Chamber by luck. Besides, Dumbledore's been under pressure by the governors all year._

_And that makes it all right for a twelve year old boy to fight a Basilisk._

_Fine, we won't tell him. We won't tell anyone. Not a soul._

"Harry? Is that you?" Ron's voice called out from around the corner. He sounded tired, frustrated and worried simultaneously.

"Ron! It's me, we're safe," Harry called back.

"Ron!" Ginny cried, and despite her harsh words earlier, she still sobbed as she ran to her brother's arms. Ginny's emotional thoughts tumbled through the chord in a mass of incoherency, and Harry felt disoriented, almost car sick, at the foreign feeling.

"I cleared enough rocks to climb through," Ron explained, pointing to the hole he had climbed through. His hands were red and raw, and his whole body was coated in a fine layer of dust.

"Thanks," Harry said appreciatively.

"No, thank you mate, you saved my little sis." Ron clapped him on the back warmly. "I can see the blood on you, so it must be one hell of a tale."

"It is," Harry agreed.

"You can tell me later, let's get out first," Ron said cheerfully, glad that everything was back to the way it was.

_Suddenly, I'm feeling really relieved we didn't tell him._

_Told you._

"By the way, where's Lockhart?" Harry asked, and Ron suddenly looked quite sheepish.

_Lockhart? Lockhart! What is he doing down here? I've had enough of him this year, why does he have to be down here now?_

"Why hello there chaps," Lockhart exclaimed, sprawled on the ground, his usually perfect hair an utter mess. "This fine gentleman here has just been showing me around his home." Lockhart glanced between Harry and Ginny and frowned. "You two don't happen to be the husband and wife of this household do you?"

_That's it, we're leaving him down here._

* * *

"And so you pulled the sword of Gryffindor out of the sorting hat, slew the Basilisk, stabbed the magical diary with a fang, and flew away with the aid of Fawkes?" Dumbledore confirmed, peering at the three young school children. He was filled with pride at the bravery of the students of Hogwarts, even if their actions were reckless and life threatening.

"Yeah, that's about it," Harry admitted. Ron's mouth was still wide open, still trying to process the epic tale he had just heard.

"And there's nothing else you need to tell me?" Dumbledore questioned, staring at the three children, but directing the question at Harry. "No mysterious voices in your head?"

Despite the fact that Dumbledore was joking, and referencing Harry's earlier visit to the office, Harry felt his heart beating faster at Dumbledore's statement.

_Don't tell him anything, you understand! If you do I'll knock you out and you won't wake up till next school year. I live with six brothers; don't think I won't be able to._

"Nothing except a voice in my head telling me to sleep," Harry replied with a serene smile on his face. He struggled to keep a straight face while Ginny struggled to control her temper. Dumbledore appeared not to notice their chord however, for he simply smiled benevolently at Harry.

"Of course, it is not wise to disobey such orders," Dumbledore said, "Alas, I haven't slept for over seventy hours, and the voices in my head are really quite angry."

"So are mine sir, so are mine," Harry replied, solemnly nodding his head.

* * *

The next and last few days of the school year passed all too quickly. The petrified patients were revived, and all but Hermione were immensely relieved to hear that they were exempt from exams. How Hermione planned to pass when she was absent for a quarter of the year was beyond Harry, but when he tried mentioning that to her he received a lecture in return.

Of course, that then led to Harry thinking about how all women were crazy, which resulted in another lecture from Ginny through the chord. Ron couldn't understand why Harry looked so dazed for the rest of that day. It was impossible to explain that there was no solace for Harry anymore, within or out of his mind.

Harry, and Ginny in particular, was pleased to discover that Hermione didn't think he was acting strangely, and simply decided that any new quirks in the boy-who-lived had simply developed in her two month long absence. She wasn't necessarily wrong; it's just that she couldn't comprehend such a drastic change occurring. It also probably helped that Harry and Ginny refused to spend any time together. Physically, that was. Mentally they were always together.

Harry spent the train ride home playing exploding snap with Ron and Hermione, and feasting on a "Congratulations on killing the Basilisk/get well soon/thank you for freeing me/I'm sorry I almost killed you" gift basket from none other than Dobby, who Harry had managed to free from the Malfoy's with a single, dirty, blood encrusted sock. Harry cringed when he saw Dobby wearing it on his head like a beanie.

_You sure you don't want to join us?_

_I'm fine, Harry._

Harry winced. It wasn't the first time he had thought concerned thoughts about Ginny that were then unconsciously passed through the chord. It wasn't his fault, he could tell through the chord that she was sitting along in a cabin. She was quickly becoming irritated with Harry's constant concern.

_I'm reading a book._

_I know, I've been hearing every word you read in my mind._

_And I've been hearing your every whining thought about the Dursleys all train ride!_

…_You've already read that page._

Harry winced as a torrent of emotions blew up in his head, the chord thrumming loudly in his mind as Ginny rattled his brains. Hermione stared at him in concern, but he shrugged it off, saying it was just a headache.

Hours later the train finally embarked at Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and although Harry's head was still ringing, Ginny had quietened down. They descended off the train, baggage in hand feeling glum, Harry because he could see the Dursleys, Ginny because her book was never finished.

_What are we going to do Ginny?_

_I don't know Harry, I just don't know._

* * *

In the plastic Garden of Eden, Harry continued to kneel in front of the hedge, the shears clenched in his fist, the blades wrapped around the weed of a flower. In the world of perfection and normality that surrounded it, the single, orange flower dared to grow, and dared to resist. Yet all Harry had to do was lean in, squeeze the handles of the bladed steel and the resistance will have been for nothing.

Harry stared at the flower, and couldn't help but notice that the orange he had earlier found garish and grotesque now appeared quite stunning. Perhaps it was the change of light, as pins of sunlight found it's way through the compact hedge, but Harry suddenly found himself quite attracted to the rebellious, resisting flower, that dared to thrive.

The orange petals were the same colour as Ginny's hair.

That was it for Harry. He let himself fall backwards and threw the shears to the side.

_Why thank you._

_Don't worry, I didn't do it for you._

_I wasn't worrying._

_I know you weren't._

_Stop peeking in my mind._

_You stop peeking in mine!_

_You know I can't._

_Hypocrite._

…_I lost my page._

Harry glared up at the sun, which still refused to grant any mercy on those already fallen and downtrodden.

_What are we going to do Ginny?_

_I don't know Harry, I just don't know._

They spent the rest of the afternoon in what they considered silence. They didn't make any direct communication with one another, so instead of their chord throbbing, it simply hummed at a low, constant vibration as their erratic thoughts passed by their mind. Ginny lost herself in the daydreams of her book, while Harry lost himself in the manual labour of the gardening.

When the sun finally began to set, Molly called Ginny down to help her with dinner while Harry settled down by the hose, greedily gulping down the water now that the gardening was finished.

He stumbled towards the back door, eager for food, but filled with the depressing foreknowledge that he wouldn't be getting any until dinner, when Uncle Vernon walked out to meet him halfway. Harry glanced around the yard nervously, making sure there weren't any tools littering the lawn. He was confidant that the rebellious flower was well hidden within the depths of the hedge and that his Uncle wouldn't spot it.

Relieved that there seemed to be nothing to get him in trouble, Harry turned back to his uncle. The burly man took a deep breath, preparing to threaten Harry about something new. What it was Harry couldn't remember, but it was at the edge of his mind, alongside with the cooking instructions Molly was berating Ginny with.

"Boy!" Vernon snarled, "I hope you remember what day it is."

_It's Thursday._

_That's not what he means… oh, never mind._

Harry was fortunately saved from responding, as his uncle didn't like it when Harry actually spoke, so he answered the question for him.

"It's Dudley's birthday," Vernon explained.

_Oh no._

"And he's having his friends over for the night."

_No, no, no, not good._

"And unfortunately, Mrs. Figg doesn't want to take you overnight, so you'll be staying in the house."

_They'll murder me in my sleep._

_Oh, stop exaggerating_

_Fine, they might not kill me, but I'm not going to wake up properly either._

"I don't want any freaky stuff while they're here," Vernon snarled, thrusting a finger at Harry. "You understand," he said, leaning in with his red, flushed face and hairy mustache.

"I understand," Harry promised. Vernon glared at Harry in disgust, but seemed appeased. Harry felt far less comfortable however. He didn't plan to do anything, but for some reason, freaky stuff just seemed to find him.

The chord thrummed with Ginny's irritation.

_You can say that again._

* * *

**Time for those ever fun after notes. So, in case you readers haven't yet noticed, this is a soulbond fic in which Harry and Ginny do not passionately fall in love after seconds of their first pre-pubescent kiss. There will be fluff in this story, just like every other SoulBond fic, but they will have to work for it.**

**Second, the mind dialogue through the "chord" Is purposely meant to be confusing as to who is the speaker. That is why there is no (Ginny thought/Harry thought) after wards. It's meant to establish the chaos and annoyance that the soul bond presents.**

**I'm also going to send this through quite a fast pace hopefully. No summer will last longer than two chapters, and the Hogwarts years should be done within five or so chapters.**

**I think that's it. No serious warnings, other than cloudy with a chance of fluffiness.**

**Cheers**

**-Council**


	2. The Executor of Azkaban

Part One: The Resistance of the Soul Bond  
Book: The Executor of Azkaban  
Chapter: The Executor of Azkaban

* * *

"Carry the cake out boy, and don't you dare drop it," Petunia screeched at Harry, raising her voice to be heard over the blasting music coming from Dudley's new surround system set. Harry had appreciated the resounding and vibrating bass flooding through him at first, but hours later, and the arrival of two other screaming children and the novelty had quickly worn off.

_Harry, do something about that awful music, I'm trying to sleep here._

_Trust me, if I could, I would._

_Eugh, I'm going to murder both you and your cousin._

_It's not like you're even going to sleep well as it is. You'll just end up having another nightmare._

Harry nearly dropped the cake when Ginny began throttling her angered voice through their chord. He didn't tell her off though, as he knew his thought was uncalled for. It was just that he was still having trouble thinking before he… well, thought.

Harry stepped into the living room, pirouetting in order to save the cake when Piers Polkiss ran past him, carrying Dudley's squawking pet parakeet. Harry was pretty certain it was squawking in pain, but there was little he could do to help the poor bird. He was, for once, relieved that Hedwig was locked up safetly in her cage.

_Look at all those presents he has. That's disgusting._

_I bet not even Malfoy's that spoiled._

_By the looks of it, you'll probably be spoiled more than Malfoy too._

_Sure that's a first. The last present I got from them was fifty pence for Christmas._

_Sounds like a lot of money. I wish I fifty sickles._

_No, you don't understand muggle- Forget it._

Harry continued to grumble under his breath as he lowered Dudley's cake on the party table. The cake was lathered with chocolate shavings and sprinkles on top of thick, sugary icing that coated the gooey mud cake inside. Having watched Petunia make the cake, and having seen the amount of sugar that went into it, Harry felt rather nauseous as he watched Dudley scoop a piece of cake onto his plate and begin wolfing it down.

_I don't get why you don't like it. The sweeter the better._

_Do you not remember how much sugar went into that?_

_As I said, the sweeter the better._

The party continued well into the night, or, as late as a twelve year old can stay up within reason, and Vernon and Petunia both gave up on trying to put the boys to sleep, and simply holed themselves up in their room, pillows wrapped around their head. Harry remained in charge however, which basically meant he was to comply to Dudley's ever wish and whim.

_He is quite arrogant, isn't he?_

_Mhmm._

_He makes Ron look subtle._

_Hey, there's nothing wrong with Ron._

_You try living with him then_

…_No thanks, I've already got Dudely, that's enough._

As the clock struck eleven, the movie that Dudley's gang was watching ended, and they grew agitated, still high on sugar and too awake for sleep. They scoured the room, looking for something to do, Dudley's new toys scattered around the room. Harry quickly set the parakeet free through the bathroom window when Piers suggested they stick him in the microwave.

It therefore became that Harry was the only other living creature in the room with Dudley and his friends. Feeling nostalgic, Dudley decided to bring up one of his favourite past times; Harry Hunting.

_Harry Hunting? I used to play a game like that when I was younger…_

_Yes, but when you caught Harry, you tried to kiss and marry him, not beat him up._

_Shut it Potter!_

_You were the one with the crush, not me._

_And wasn't that the biggest mistake of my life._

_The diary?_

…_Touché._

Harry quickly found himself stepping warily backwards into the living room, Dudley edging forwards, his friends surrounding Harry, and blocking off all his exits. His back hit the party table, half a mud cake still lying upon it, and Harry gulped. There was no way he was getting out of this one.

_Stop being such a girl. It's not like they'll actually hurt you Harry. My brothers used to do this to me all the time._

Harry would have sent back a sarcastic reply, but Dudley had just sent a solid, right jab to Harry's face, snapping one of the arms of his glasses. Harry bit back his cry of pain, but there was nothing he could do to hide the hurt from Ginny.

_Knee him in the balls!_

_What?_

_Do it Potter! That's an order!_

More scared of the furious lady inside his mind than of his dopey cousin and his friends, Harry stepped forwards and brought his knee up into his cousin's groin. Dudley collapsed to the ground like a corpse, his body scrunched up, and his hands wrapped around his privates. Harry felt a rush of exhilaration at seeing his cousin on the ground, which quickly turned to fear as Dudley's friends stepped towards him.

_Grab the cake, throw it at the rat kid._

_Petunia will kill me if I get cake on the carpet though…_

_Listen Potter, it is way past my bed time, I am incredibly cranky, and do not want to put up with this. Throw the bloody cake at him._

Resigning himself to the fact that he was going to go down fighting, Harry reached behind him, grabbed the cake by the plate and smooshed it in the rat kid's face. Piers howled in agony as gooey mud cake slipped into his eyes, up his nose, and down his throat.

The last boy way eyeing Harry warily, suddenly quite nervous now that they were fighting with even numbers. Harry probably could have just left him alone, and fled to his bedroom upstairs, but Ginny was having none of that.

_Tackle him!_

_How?_

_Just jump on him._

Ignoring his bleeding nose that was still throbbing from Dudley's punch, Harry launched himself across the room and leapt at the last boy. He squealed comically in fright as Harry landed on him sending them both sprawling on the ground. Harry simply sat on top of the frightened boy, unsure of what to do next.

_Punch him._

_No, I'm not going to punch him!_

_Why not? He was going to do the same to you._

_But he can't anymore; he's on the ground._

Suddenly the living room lights flickered on, and Harry, his heart in his mouth, craned his head up slowly to stare at Vernon. His uncle was furious, and that was putting it lightly. A vein in his forehead was throbbing so wildly Harry was scared it would burst.

"Boy!" Vernon bellowed, and Harry leapt to his feet, years of instinctual behavior kicking in. The boy below him scampered away as fast he could on all fours

_Look, you went and missed your chance to hit him._

_Ginny!_

_What, I'm just saying._

"Yes uncle Vernon?" Harry asked, as politely as he could manage. He really wanted to wipe the blood that was dripping off his nose with the back of his hand, but he knew that Vernon demanded Harry's full attention when he spoke.

"What the blazes is going on here?" He shouted, spittle flying from his mouth and getting trapped in his obscene mustache.

_You're in sooo much trouble._

…_Was that your plan all along?_

_Why, how'd you guess Potter?_

_I hate you so much right now Ginny._

_The feeling's mutual, Potter._

"Harry just suddenly attacked us!" Piers exclaimed, still trying to wipe the cake from his scrawny face.

"He kicked me in the…" Dudley's voice trailed off in embarrassment. He had managed to pick himself up off the ground, and accomplishment of its own, but was still looking shaky, and rather pale. Vernon glanced over at his son, and saw him clutching his nether region.

"Did you dare kick Dudders in the truffles?" Vernon growled furiously, his beady eyes never leaving Harry.

_The truffles?_

_Trust me, I'm as amused as you are_

Harry couldn't quite hold a grin off his face, due to his internal conversation, which only served to infuriate his unstable uncle further. The grin quickly left however when, with a roar of outrage, Vernon grasped Harry by the collar of his shirt, and lifted him into the air. Harry's feet kicked against empty air, struggling to find something to lean again. His breathing became laboured as one of his uncles thick, meaty hands clasped around his throat.

_What is that brute doing to you Harry!_

_Punishing me…_

The resonance between their chord was weak as Harry's breaths were cut off, and he struggled to remain conscious. Although Ginny couldn't see what was going on, the panicked thoughts within his mind were enough to warn her that something wasn't right.

_I'm o… pen to i… deas rig…ht now._

_Use your wand! I'm sure this is classified as an emergency._

_D…on't ha…ve my… w…and… The…y too…k it…_

_Harry! Don't you dare pass out on me! Harry? Harry!?  
_

…_  
_

* * *

When Harry woke up, he found himself sprawled unceremoniously on the cold, wooden floor of his bedroom. He was breathing labouriously, and each breath stung his throat like he had swallowed a handful of needles. He stared up at the moudly, ceiling, with unnoticed white pain flaking off, but despite the miserable view, he couldn't help feeling elated. He was alive.

_Damn right you are._

Harry groaned, and tried to prop himself up on his arms, but he found them to be too shaky to support his weight, and he collapsed back onto the hard wood.

_I was hoping you would be asleep by now._

_Well suck it up Potter, because I've been awake for the past three hours._

_No one asked you to stay up for me._

_Typical, I don't receive one word of appreciation._

_It's your fault I ended up like this!_

As Harry proceeded to argue with the voice in his head, his breathing grew more ragged and furious. Each breath was a gasp of pain, but he relished the feeling, if only that it took his mind off of Ginny's squawking.

_I do not squawk!_

_For a minute then I thought I heard Hedwig._

_That's not funny Potter._

Harry obviously thought otherwise, because a soft patter of chuckles left his lips, resonating around the despondent room. The vibrations were too much for him however, and he began hacking in protest to the noise.

_Actually, you're right, it's not funny. _

_That's it! Enough moping, we're getting you out of there._

Harry glanced around the bedroom that felt foreign and hostile to him, as if his very presence in the room was a sin itself. Bars lined the only window of the room, and the door was bolted shut. The room was lit solely by moonlight, the electronics having been disconnected within the room, rather harshly, as witnessed by the gaping hole in the wall near the light switch. Copious amounts of dust and jagged, shattered plaster littered the ground. The wooden bed frame was solid, but the sheets laid atop were ragged and torn. Compared to the rest of the pristine house, Harry's bedroom looked overly unseemly.

_How are you going to do that? With a bloody flying car?_

_Don't be sarcastic with me, Potter._

_What do you want me to do instead?_

_Find something thin, long and sharp._

Humouring the voice in his head, Harry glanced around the room, and allowed a small smile to grace his lips when he spotted thin nails imbedded in the plaster that Vernon had knocked down. Painfully dragging himself up to his feet, Harry hobbled over and retrieved the shiny nail. He stared at it with a sense of accomplishment, a strange, goofy smile on his beaten face, when suddenly he realized how stupid he looked.

_Great. Now what?_

_Now, you poke yourself in the eye with it until you shut up._

_Ha, very funny._

_We need another one. See if there's another nail lying around._

_Why?_

_So you can poke out both eyes at the same time._

_Ginny, I'm warning you._

Nonetheless, Harry searched for another nail. He failed to find one, but instead found a piece of wire sticking out of the wall. With Ginny sending her satisfaction through the chord, he tugged it out of the wall.

_Now Harry, listen to me very closely…_

Ginny then proceeded to give Harry a remarkably helpful lesson on how to pick locks. With Harry documenting his every action to Ginny through his thoughts, she was able to help him out with the specifics. Harry bent the end of the strip of wire, until there was a tiny, ninety-degree bend at the end. She helped explain that this would be used to knock the pins upwards. Harry just kind of fiddled around with the wire, the lock making funny noises all the while, until Ginny heard the desired noise, and ordered him to stop.

_Now, slide the nail in, we'll use that to keep the first pin up while we work on the others._

_This is going to take all night Ginny._

_You've got four hours until dawn. That's more than enough time. Besides, from what you've told me, you're going to have to pick another lock to get your wand and luggage back._

_Oh, so now you believe me._

…_The situation changed._

Many failed attempts later, the door swung open, almost as if by magic, except the feeling of euphoria within Harry was far greater than after any simple spell he had cast.

_I… I'm free._

_Focus Potter, you're not there yet._

Harry concentrated on Ginny's voice, letting her order him around. He honestly didn't mind. Followed her commands helped dull the pain across his body. He found his head was still light, and wondered if it from the side effects of his suffocation. He would never admit it, but at this moment, he was glad Ginny was with him.

_I heard that._

_Stop eavesdropping!_

_Oh, you think you can pick this second lock on your own._

_I've only got one pin left. Shut up and watch me._

Harry groaned as the nail slipped through his sweaty fingers and the pins fell back into place.

_Smooth._

…_Just hurry up and get back in my head and help me._

Harry retrieved his luggage with no more delays after that. He held onto his holly wand tightly, relishing the feel of the familiar, trusted core in his hands, while with the other hand dragged his suitcase out. He strapped his Nimbus 2000 to the case with a spare belt, and began dragging the heavy case to the front door with as much stealth as he could muster when he realized he was forgetting something.

"Hedwig," Harry groaned softly to himself. Ginny admonished him over the link for his carelessness, but he ignored her for the moment and hurriedly made his way up the stairs, wand still in hand. He heard Hedwig give a soft, reproachful hoot, and ran around the corner, straight into Piers.

_Oh no._

_Knee him in the balls._

_Shut up Ginny._

The two hit each other with a thump, and each fell to the ground on their respective behinds. Piers stared at Harry with red eyes, still bloodshot from the cake, and Harry was about to beg him to let him go, despite Ginny's disagreement, when Piers suddenly screamed.

Harry realized that he only had moments left to escape, so he clambered to his feet and barreled down the hallway. He saw his beautiful snowy owl trapped within her cage, staring at him with wide, startled eyes, obviously concerened about the scream. Harry usually would have comforted her, but he was out of time, so he simply grabbed the cage by the swinging handle at the top, and swung her over his shoulder.

He fled the room, and ran past the master bedroom, the door wide open, and hopped down the stairs, three at a time. Harry had his wand held in front of him, and he almost snapped it as he hit the last step, rounded the corner, and ran right into Vernon's great mass.

Harry stared at the figure that should not have existed outside of nightmares and Halloween movies. Vernon was dressed in striped pyjama pants that were too small around his waist, and displayed a sizeable portion of his bulging, hairy belly. His hair was ruffled from sleep, and his eyes were glazed over from anger. His hands were the scariest though, clenched so tightly into fists that the skin was white as the blood faded out.

_What do I do? And please don't say knee him in the balls._

_Swish and flick!_

_What?_

_Wingadrium Leviosa! Swish and flick! Hurry!_

"Wingardium Leviosa," Harry cried, fear colouring his voice as Vernon lunged at him, fear flickering in the man's beady eyes as Harry attempted magic. He was too late though, and the charm hit the bulky man, who didn't just float, but flew up into the ceiling. He hit the roof with a crack, and Harry hoped that it was the plaster and not his uncle's skull.

_You're too kind Harry._

_Anyone's too kind when compared to you Ginny._

_How dare you!_

_Knee him in the balls?_

…_that was for self defence…_

Harry kept his wand trained on his uncle, well aware that the moment he pulled the wand away his uncle would fall. It didn't quite seem like his uncle was conscious though, so Harry pocketed his wand, winced when his uncle hit the wooden floorboards, grabbed his trunk in one hand, Hedwig's cage in the other, and fled number four, Privet Drive.

Harry stood on the front garden, luggage in hand, his heart throbbing at the exhilaration of the escape, but an iron hand was clenching around his bubble of hope.

_What do I do now?_

He only began panicking more when the lights in house began flickering on, one by one, and aunt Petunia could be heard screaming. Uncle Vernon might not be conscious, but Petunia was just as brutal in her punishments sometimes.

_Run to the edge of the road, and raise your wand in the air._

_What's going to happen?_

_Nothing too shocking, don't worry._

Harry, feeling far too much like a schizophrenic, obeyed the voice implicitly, and raised his wand in the sky. He screamed like a little girl when the road in front of him exploded in a blur of purple.

_You should have heard yourself! That was the funniest thing I've heard all summer!_

_You're going to pay for that one._

"Welcome to the Knight Bus. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your-" The bizarrely dressed, purple suited boy's speech was interrupted when Petunia flew out the front door in her flowery pink night gown, her hair a complete mess, and screaming bloody murder.

"'Oo is that?"

"It doesn't matter, just get in and let's go," Harry begged, pushing past Stan and onto the bus.

"Ohh, you be one of those customers. I got you. Take her away, Ernie," Stan said, stepping back into the safety of the magical, purple vehicle.

"What did you mean by one of those customers?" Harry asked Stan, unsure if he had been insulted or not.

"Wizards running away from houses after a midnight visit to their witch, and the matron chasing them out of the house when they're caught."

Harry blinked at Stan, while Ginny displayed her amusement through the chord.

"And that happens often?"

"All the time."

"Yeah, all the time, man!" A dangling, Jamaican skull remarked.

Harry glanced around the, despite the weird talking skull, comfy looking bus in appreciation. The seats were wide and spacious, and looked long enough for him to lie on and take a nap.

_Well, at least I'll be able to catch up on some sleep._

_Good luck with that._

Boom, went the bus, and Harry was thrown all the way to the back of the bus, his head hammering against the surprisingly soft floor, and Ginny laughing at him through the chord. Harry caught a glimpse of aunt Petunia out of one of the windows. Her pinched face was red in anger, and she appeared to be in the middle of threatening him, but before she could finish, the world outside blurred away, and the next thing Harry knew he had hit the back of the bus.

"What 'choo rolling around for?" Stan asked, honestly curious.

"Nothing, sir," Harry replied, and made his way to his feet, moments before the bus exploded again, but this time he was thrown to the front of the bus. He crashed right into Stan, who didn't seem to even notice Harry.

"Shucks, I've never been called a sir before," Stan muttered, his cheeks red in embarrassment. Harry held out a hand, trying to ask for help, but Stan appeared to be lost in his own world, so Harry painfully dragged himself into the nearest seat. He set himself down, and glanced around urgently for seat belts.

_Harry, why would seats need belts? They don't have any pants to hold up._

_You don't know what seat belts are?_

Harry missed her response as the Knight Bus burst into a stop, and he found himself thrown forwards out of the seat. He clambered back into the chair, staring gloomily at the bus he once thought was comfortable. It was inconceivable, but painfully obvious, that wizards had not yet invented seat belts.

"Sorry, what 'choo saying to me?" Stan asked Harry, finally snapping out of his reverie.

"Umm…"

_Leaky Cauldron._

"Leaky Cauldron," Harry dutifully repeated, before realizing what he'd said. "No, wait a minute-"

"London it is. Hit it Ernie," Stan ordered loudly, ignoring Harry.

"Aww yeah, hit it Ernie," The dangling, Jamaican skull remarked, moments before the bus exploded sideways.

_Why aren't I going to the Burrow?_

_Because I don't want you there._

_And the other reason?_

_There wasn't one, really._

_Ginny!_

_How would you explain that you got to the Burrow without revealing this stupid bond thing of ours?_

Harry grumbled under his breath, reluctantly admitting she was right. He instead chose to stare out the window, which didn't exactly help him calm him. In fact, after they appeared in a frozen ice field, in which Harry swore he saw a polar bear, he simply closed his eyes, and prayed until the ride was over.

_I'm going to get you back for this one day._

_And I'll be waiting for that Harry._

Harry managed to prevent a smile from pulling at his lips, but he couldn't contain the small burst of happiness that shot through the chord to Ginny. She had finally called him by his first name.

* * *

Boom!

"Leaky Cauldron!" Stan bellowed, causing Harry to pull open his eyes. "What 'choo sleeping for?" Stan asked.

"Don't worry, I wasn't sleeping," Harry grumbled.

"What 'choo not sleeping for?"

"That was eleven sickles, right?" Harry said loudly, ignoring the pointless questions that Stan seemed to love. Harry handed over the sickles, and Stan handed him a red, bristly toothbrush.

"What is this?"

"For eleven sickles you get a free toothbrush. Not bad eh?"

_Tell him to stick it up his-_

_Ginny! Not now!_

Harry hopped off the bus, dragging his trunk, an empty cage, and a very disgruntled Hedwig along with him. Harry was rather relieved that you couldn't see owls bruise, because he was sure Hedwig was covered in them right now.

"Sorry girl," Harry murmured, but all he received was a harsh nip on the ear. Sighing, Harry pushed through the doors to the leaky cauldron. He stumbled forwards several steps, his heavy luggage dragging him forwards.

"Ah, Potter, there you are," a rough, but cheerful voice called. Harry spun around, and beside the doors, still flapping back and forth from his entrance, a tall, muscular intimidating man stood, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Spiky, course black hair made him seem even more tall, and his rough beard displayed a ruggedness of a man who would do work others would cringe from.

"Umm, sorry sir, but who exactly are you?" Harry asked warily. Despite the man's overbearing and intimidating size, he seemed rather cheerful.

"Excuse me, where are my manners. The name is Macnair. Warden Macnair, not that you'll need to know all of that." Macnair grinned cheerfully at Harry, revealing a single, missing tooth in his otherwise clean teeth.

_He works in the ministry. Dad doesn't like him._

_Why?_

_Don't know. Dad never actually badmouths anyone from work. It's just the way he sounds when he mentions the name._

"I'm glad you're here Potter. We've all been in a bit of an axe around here looking for you," Macnair admitted.

"A bit of an axe?" Harry asked, confused with the expression. Perhaps it was a wizard thing.

_Nope. Not a wizard thing._

"Oh, that," Macnair said dismissively, chuckling. "Just a little joke of mine, you see." And just in case Harry couldn't 'see' the joke, Macnair reached behind hid back, and from seemingly nowhere withdrew a giant executioners axe. Now that Harry could see the joke, he took several steps backwards from it.

Macnair must have realized that Harry was feeling nervous, because he slid the axe back behind his back, where it simply disappeared. The man seemed friendly enough to Harry, despite his jokes, so Harry stepped forwards towards him again.

"Fudge has been looking all over for you, you know that?" Harry paled. He could only think of one reason the Minister of Magic would be looking for him. He had cast underage magic on his uncle.

_Oh come on, you're Harry Potter. You're not going to get in trouble for floating your bloated uncle._

_You never know. What if I end up in prison? Wait, do wizards even have a prison?_

_Of course we do, it's called Azkaban. I hear it's a lovely place this time of year._

_Please stop now Ginny._

"Are you listening to me Potter?" Harry shook his head as Macnair's voice broke through his mental conversation.

"Sorry sir," Harry apologized.

"What's wrong, axe got your ear?" Harry cringed, imagining Macnair large, dangerous looking axe lopping off his ears.

"No sir, just talking to the voices in my head," Harry admitted truthfully, realizing that no one would believe him. It also helped that it annoyed Ginny to no end. Macnair chuckled at Harry's words.

"It's best not to say that around wizards Potter," Macnair suggested, and Harry remembered Ron telling him last year, that hearing voices is a bad sign, even in the wizarding world. "Unless of course, you actually do have voices in your head," Macnair said pensively.

"I was just joking, sir," Harry said quickly.

"Of course you were," Macnair agreed, chuckling lightly. "Now, as I was saying, Sirius Black is still on the loose, so we don't know where he's hiding, so the minister would like it if you stayed in the Leaky Cauldron for the next two weeks until you go to Hogwarts."

"Sorry sir, but why should it matter if Sirius Black has broken out of Azkaban. It's not like he has a reason to find me."

_Except for defeating you-know-who._

"Except for defeating you-know-who."

"Alright, I get it," Harry said grumpily.

"Now, I need to send a message along to Fudge telling him that you're as safe as an axe, and then I'm back off to Azkaban." Macnair shivered at the thought of going back to Azkaban, something that Harry didn't quite understand.

"Why are you going back to Azkaban?" Harry asked.

"Why? Because I'm the Executioner of Azkaban of course," Macnair said cheerfully, grinning at Harry, a single tooth missing from his perfect set of teeth.

* * *

Harry settled down into his bed. Despite the fact that morning was just around the corner, the need for sleep was overwhelming. Hedwig seemed to agree with him, and had her head buried beneath one snowy wing, her chest rising and falling steadily.

As Harry nestled his head in his fluffy pillow, a luxury he had never been allowed at the Dursley's, he felt the chord twinge slightly, a sign that Ginny had not yet fallen asleep.

_Hey Ginny?_

_What is it Harry? I'm trying to sleep._

_I just wanted to say… thanks for tonight; I couldn't have done it without you._

_Don't think this means I'm your friend all of a sudden. I only did it because your relatives are foul creatures no one person should ever have to live with._

_Except Dudley._

_I don't really classify him as a person. He's more pig at this point._

Harry chuckled, the last bad thoughts plaguing his mind disappearing as the sun finally rose, bearing a new, Dursley free day.

_Thank you Ginny._

_Anytime Harry._

* * *

**And finally the second chapter is out. As you might be able to tell, the story is going to vaguely follow the canon story line, but with a completely different twist. I do hope you're liking the Harry/Ginny relationship right now, because they're going to be resisting each other for the first third of this series. I didn't call it "The Resistance" for nothing. Also, if I were to give the third HP book a name, it would be called "The Executioner of Azkaban" Hence the name of this chapter.**

**Cheers**

**-Council**


	3. Trouble Finds Me In Unexpected Ways

Part One: The Resistance of the Soul Bond  
Book: The Executor of Azkaban  
Chapter: Trouble Finds Me

* * *

Harry spent the next several weeks relishing in his newfound freedom within Diagon Alley. Although he was careful not to withdraw too many coins from his parents vault, he found himself spending more and more every day. Fellow wizards and witches began to recognize him as a familiar customer, and their cheerful, genuine smiles followed him around the stores. There was always time for ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Icea Cream Parlour, and the day was always sunny, although Harry suspected that was a charm, rather than the fortitudinous weather.

Ginny, on the hand, was growing more and more miserable, and therefore growing more and more cranky.

_No I'm not!_

_Quiet, I'm thinking._

_Don't tell me to be quite, Harry James Potter. When I see you I'm going to cast a curse on your bits so dangerous you won't be able to walk straight for days…._

Yes, as Harry was always aware, Ginny was definitely more cranky. A lack of sleep from nightmares, not just her own from the chamber, but now sharing Harry's nightmares on her few nights of freedom meant that she was constantly fatigued. In addition to her family treating her like a fine china doll statue after being possessed by Tom, Harry's joyful emotions that thrummed through the chords only further irritated her.

She had finally snapped when Molly had asked her to write down the ingredients to the home made Weasley pudding, and just moments after Ginny had lowered her quill onto the paper, Ron had yanked the feather out of her hand, and quickly began scribing in her place. Her mother paled when she realized what she had just asked Ginny, and the twins fell awkwardly silent. That they thought she was too fragile to even write anymore had been the final snowflake.

_I had a headache for the rest of the day after that._

_No one asked you to listen in._

_No, they didn't, but I was still forced to._

The chord thrummed in morose agreement.

Harry sat in his trademark stall within the leaky cauldron, enjoying a warm breakfast of croissants and tea. A magical newspaper lay in front of him, images flickering back and forth, distracting the reader from the written contents of the words. Honestly, it was like playing Tom and Jerry cartoons on the green screens of a television news program; distracting and unnecessary. Nonetheless, Harry found himself absorbed in one of the pictures in particular.

_Oi, big head, stop staring at yourself_

_It's him I'm staring at, not me._

_Staring at Lockhart is just as weird Harry._

On the front cover of the Daily Prophet was a photo taken exactly one year ago. A very proud, boisterous Lockhart with a charming, pearly smile stood within Flourish and Blotts, an arm wrapped casually around younger Harry's shoulders, who was looking extremely uncomfortable. Above the picture that Harry had trouble dragging his eyes off was headline written in large, bold letters.

_The Annual Notorious Achievements of Lockhart Day?_

_Indeed, I couldn't think of anything worse._

_I find myself agreeing with you for once, Harry. What are they celebrating?_

_It seems that today's the anniversary of the day Lockhart announced he would begin teaching at Hogwarts. His fans believe that was the moment the Hogwarts teaching curse took a hold of him, so they believe his downfall should be remembered every year on this day. They'll be parading down Diagon Alley today._

…_that's…. horrible…_

_It is._

…_Wait, what was it called again?_

_The Annual Notorious Achievements of Lockhart Day… wait a minute…_

_A.N.A.L Day._

_How quaint._

* * *

_I'm not doing it._

_No one's forcing you to._

_**You're**__ forcing me to._

_I'm not forcing, I'm asking._

_Well, ask nicer._

Harry glared into the dressing mirror. His own scrawny body defiantly withstood his glare. A single, wicked scar and marked his bare chest, evidence of his childhood at Privet Drive. He was glad he was currently hidden within a small changing cubicle, with magically reinforced walls to prevent anyone seeing in and seeing his frail body. Even Ginny couldn't see that side of him. She could only hear his self-depressing thoughts.

Within that minute changing cubicle, Harry held a flowery, white dress at arms length, his fingers barely curled around the fabric, as if he were holding a deadly snake.

_I am not wearing a dress!_

_Back scratching, remember?_

_I'd rather not…_

I got you away from the Dursley's, so now you owe me.

_And the reason you want me to try on the dress is because?_

_Because you're a boy, and therefore have absolutely no skill in describing clothes to me._

_I told you that it was white and flowery!  
_

_That tells me absolutely nothing!_

_Objection! That tells you that it's white, and that it's flowery._

_And to a girl, that could mean anything._

Harry stared at the revolting piece of cloth in his arms. In actuality, it wasn't that disgusting; it was actually quite a lovely looking dress, but Harry didn't quite know how to translate that into thoughts for Ginny.

_Uhh, this would be so much easier if I could just see what you're seeing._

_Don't push it Ginny, this mind speak stuff is bad enough._

_Good point, let's pray that never happens._

Harry felt an ominous shiver strike his body at her statement, but he quickly pushed such trifle, if dreadful, foreshadowing thoughts away.

_Harry, you promised me you'd go clothes shopping for me._

_Shopping with you._

_Technically, I'm not with you, so you're shopping for me._

_But I'm a boy, I'm not meant to wear dresses._

_It's not like I have any boobs or a behind right now, so you're the same shape as me. Just try it on, and tell me how you look._

_I refuse._

_You can't just refuse!_

_Make me._

Ginny was just about to deliver a very convincing reason as to why he shouldn't refuse, when loud screams tore through Madame Malkin's store. The screams were garbled as panicked voices layered atop one another, but two words could be heard clearly, repeated again, and again, ever so fearfully.

"Run for your lives it's-"

"Stay away from my children from-"

"Someone stop him, it's-"

"Sirius Black!"

Harry, relying on instincts honed from being hunted by dark lords the past two years, fled from the changing room to retrieve his wand, that he had left with Madame Malkin as he changed clothes. He barely noticed the cool wind pressing against his bare chest and legs as he left the changing room scantily dressed in just his underwear.

He ran between other fleeing customers, desperately trying to fight crowd as he pushed towards the shop owner. She looked rather frazzled, wand held uselessly limp in her hand.

"Madame Malkin," Harry cried, "I need my wand!" She appeared to grow even more frazzled as her eyes roamed over Harry.

"What, Mr. Potter, are you planning to do with that dress?" she asked incredulously. Harry finally realized that within his left hand he had the flowery white dress clamped firmly in his grip. Harry opened his mouth to try and explain, but he realized it was impossible to without revealing his chord with Ginny.

Madame Malkin appeared to take Harry's silence as a condemning answer.

"Wizards are free to dress in any fashion they choose, Mr. Potter. I shall not judge your clothing choices in the slightest," she proclaimed boldly.

_She's judging you so hard right now._

_Shut it Ginny._

Harry had to admit though, that Madame Malkin had acquired a nervous twitch in her nose whenever she glanced at the dress in Harry's hands.

"My wand, please," Harry growled out, the screams resonating from outside reminding him as to his current predicament.

"My goodness, of course, it's Sirius Black!" Madame Malkin gasped, as if suddenly realizing something of great importance. "Quickly, Harry, hide in the back of the shop. We must not let him find you at any cost."

"Why do you presume he's after me?" Harry demanded angrily. First Macnair, and now Malkin were acting like Sirius had escaped from Azkaban solely to hunt him down.

_Because you defeated you-know-who._

_Yes, I've heard that from you before._

"Because you defeated you-know-who," Madame Malkin explained, but her eyes shifted nervously as she spoke, refusing to make eye contact with Harry.

"Enough with that already!" Harry bellowed, but an explosion that rocked the shop deafened his cry of outrage. Walls exploded inwards, but the rubble never hit the ground. Instead, they remained stuck in a strange sort of orbit around the remaining pillars of support within the shop.

In the midst of the explosion, a man with long, wild, matted black hair was sent tumbling across the room, landing sprawled on his back, eyes dazed, in the middle of the shop, mere meters from Harry's feet. Harry stared at the homeless man with pity. It seemed he'd been caught by a wizards curse as they were chasing Sirius Black. Harry could see strangely cloaked wizarding police rushing to the destruction they had just caused.

_Aurors._

_Oreos? Where?_

_Just there, They're they magical law enforcement team._

_You guys named your police unit after a Muggle food snack._

_What?_

_Oreos._

_Yeah, Aurors._

_Twist, lick and dunk?_

_What!?_

"Sirius Black!" Madame Malkin screamed suddenly, her voice rising to a painful octave, before she collapsed in a slump befitting of a noble lady. Harry glanced around the room frantically, searching for the man hunting him. However, apart from the rapidly approaching Oreos, the only man in sight was the one groaning at his feet.

"Wazagoing on James? Whatchas doing starkers?" The man mumbled incoherently.

The wind blowing in through the fallen walls chilled Harry's bare body, reminded him of his embarrassing predicament. However, he couldn't quite take his eyes off of the strange, unkempt man on the ground.

"Sirius Black?" Harry asked tentatively.

"The one and only, James," Sirius said with a smirk on his face, which quickly slid off as his eyes glazed over. "James?"

_Run, Harry!_

Obeying the angry voice in his head, Harry sprinted out of the shop through the newly made entrance, barreling past the Oreos who seemed too shocked to stop him.

"Was that… Harry Potter?"

"Why was he starkers?

"What did Black do to him?"

The Oreos were sufficiently distracted that Sirius Black had time to recover, and once he was on his feet, transformed the pieces of orbiting rubble into Chinese dragon fire crackers which exploded around the Oreos harmlessly, but causing their high pitched screams to resound across the awkwardly silent Alley.

Harry didn't stop to watch though. He was intent on putting as much distance between himself and Black as possible. Unfortunately, running around in his undergarment was attracted far too many stares for his liking, yet the only thing he had to wear was the white, flowery dress still clenched in his left fist.

_Do it Harry._

_I can't._

_It's your only choice. You stand out too much like you are now._

_I'll stand out even more with a dress on!_

_Only if they know it's you. From a distance, you'll just look like a pretty girl with black hair in address._

_Maybe…_

_Right now, from a distance, you just look like a streaker._

_Fine, I'm putting the dress on!_

Harry slipped into a small side alley within the larger Diagon Alley, and with Ginny's step-by-step instructions, he had the dress over his head and covering his body.

_Now, tell me, what does the dress feel like._

_It feels… very open._

_No, I mean the material. Is it comfortable on your skin? Does it scratch? What about the neck, is it too low? Do you think it'd fit me properly?_

_Ginny! Now is not the time for clothes shopping._

_It's the only time I'm ever going to get you into a dress though._

Ginny continued to complain about Harry's lack of cooperation in her shopping endeavors while Harry contemplating the perks and disadvantages of wearing a dress. The open feeling at his legs was incredibly foreign yet strangely comforting-

Explosions began tearing up the small side alley as the Oreos brandished their wands threateningly, and sent a continuous stream of destructive spells without hesitancy. Sirius Black could be seen ahead of them, charming empty butterbeer bottles and food packets into suicide bombers that would collide with the nearest and deadliest incoming curses.

Harry screamed in a high pitched octave, a sound rather fitting for his attire, as Sirius Black, the unkempt, escaped convict mass murderer, charged down the alley toward him. Harry sprinted down the alley, desperately looking for a hiding spot, but there were no sharp turns, and the main alley was quickly coming back into sight.

Dazzling daylight momentarily blinded Harry's eyes as he stumbled onto the stone ridded, main alley road. His eyes slowly adjusted to the buildings around him. The buildings were all buckled down, shop doors closed and locked as the threat of Sirius Black loomed over them. The main alley was wide, open, and clearly visible from one side to the other, with only people littering the street. There was nowhere to hide.

"Don't let him get away!" One of the Oreo's shouted, reminding Harry that someone was still after him. Harry glanced desperately down the alley, and saw a large group of people steadily approaching. They appeared to be solely composed of females, and they were holding various picket signs and banners displaying the on and only Gilderoy Lockhart.

The woman were either too dense to realize that a mass murderer was loose in Diagon, or they were too devoted to their idol to cancel the Annual Notorious Achievements of Lockhart Day. Considering this was Gilderoy Lockhart being talked about, it would have to be both. The womanly screams of delight, and squeals of how much they loved the dashing blue eyed man with his charming smile. The woman seemed to all blend together to become one, large single entity.

A crisp wind blew in between Harry's legs, causing him to shiver as the thin material of his dress did little to protect his body.

Harry froze as he suddenly realized what he had to do.

_Wait, no, Harry, don't do it!_

_There's no other choice._

Sirius Black and the Oreo's pooled out into the open alley, and Harry, remembering how the sun had dazzled him earlier, raised his wand into the sky and bellowed out one of the few charms he could confidently cast.

"Lumos Maxim," Harry shouted, and an orb of light as brilliant and blinding as the sun erupted from the tip of the holly wand. The alley became a midst of blind confusion and panic, with woman screaming in panic, and Oreos shouting in desperation. Harry barreled in the direction of the womanly screams, knowing he only had seconds to hide in the midst of the parade before everyone's sight had recovered.

Seconds passed slowly for Harry as adrenaline spiked his body. Eventually the white dots in his eyes faded away, and he realized that he was in the midst of a bumbling crowd of Lockhart fans. The Oreos were at the edge of the crowd, glancing around nervously, while Sirius Black was nowhere to be found.

_He must have escaped when everyone was blinded, just like you did._

_But he wasn't wearing a dress like me! There's no way he could blend into this crowd!_

_I don't know how he did it! But he's obviously not there anymore, is he?_

The Oreos seemed to agree with Harry, for they cautiously slid their wands back into their holsters and began establishing communication and calling for reinforcements.

The Annual Notorious Achievements of Lockhart Day parade was quickly recovering, and regaining momentum. It seemed they either didn't care, or were too dense to realize the danger they were just in. Their blind loyalty to a man and his smile were outstanding.

Harry meekly followed the crowd. He didn't know where Sirius Black had gone, but he didn't quite believe the man had left the alley yet. It was safer to stay hidden with the other woman than venture out for the moment.

Now that the action was over, reporters were spooling into the alley, cameras floating in the air as they struggled to acquire the best angle, while self-writing quills danced along parchment. The Oreos had multiplied, and were now scattered across the premise, searching for the man who had disappeared.

Harry sighed, realized that the danger had passed, when a great, bear like dog with long shaggy hair barked loudly, and jumped on him. Harry tried to stay upright, but the dog was too heavy, and the two fell to the ground, Harry's dress billowing out around him, pushing over several Lockhart fans. Harry struggled to push the dog away, but the animal managed to place several slobbery licks over his cheeks.

"Gerrof me you crazy mutt," Harry growled, finally rolling out of the dogs grasp and quickly picking himself up. He straightened his dress, and flattened out his unkempt hair, but the damage had been done. Hundreds of witches and wizards stared at the commotion that had just been made.

"Hey Ernie, look at that witch there."

"That aint no witch Stan, that's a wizard."

"That aint no wizard you fools, that's Harry Potter!"

"Nah, that aint Harry Potter. They be wearing a dress, it be a woman."

"That's certainly no woman, that is definitely a man."

"That's no simple man, that's Harry Potter."

Harry groaned as the reporters, Oreos and Lockhart fans all circled around him, their cycle of comments repeating endlessly. A brilliant flash of light blinding him for the third time that day as a photographer took the photo of the century.

The shaggy black dog barked happily, as if everything had been a part of its plan.

* * *

**Boy-Who-Lived Astounds Wizarding World During A.N.A.L Day Celebration!**

Harry sat in his trademark stall within the leaky cauldron, not enjoying his warm breakfast in the slightest. His invisibility cloak had finally been recovered from the bottom of his trunk and was snuggly wrapped around his body. A magical newspaper lay in front of him, and Harry found himself absorbed in one of the pictures in particular.

Harry stood there with wide, bedazzled eyes as a soft wind played with the dress that rippled across his body, the hem flirtatiously flicking upwards, revealing his bare legs. Lockhart fans surrounded him enthusiastically, screaming their love for the six-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile award. Many of the females were wrapping their arms nudging Harry, and trying to pass him several of their signs, making it seem like Harry was a part of the celebration.

Harry hadn't read the article. For all his Gryffindor bravery, the article had bested him.

_Are you sure you don't want to read it? It's pretty entertaining._

_From the number of times you've read it, I have a pretty good grasp of what it's about._

"_If Harry Potter wished, it is without doubt that the Wizarding World would let their saviour change his title to the Girl-Who-Lived. After freeing us all from you-know-who's tyranny, he deserves that much."_

_I don't know who Rita Skeeter is, but I will have my revenge on her._

Ron wouldn't stop laughing.

Fred and George couldn't stop laughing.

Arthur couldn't help but smile.

Even Percy was having trouble hiding his smile, when his gaze landed on Harry.

But most importantly of all…

_Ginny, you have got to stop laughing at me!_

_But… but… this is priceless._

_It's been two weeks since then!_

_It's still priceless._

_It was you fault I even ended up like that! _

_Try explaining that to someone without mentioning our bond, and then I'll stop laughing._

So it was with that, and a lot of internal grumbling, that Harry took the joking in good stride. It helped that he was finally reunited with his favourite wizarding after a long, slow summer holiday. Ron had grown since the last time he had seen him, and was now practically a whole head taller than Harry. Ron had wasted no breath flaunting his newly acquired height to him.

"When's Hermione arriving?" Harry asked Ron, once the turmoil of cross-dressing jokes had faded away. It would only be for a while though. Fred and George's devious smiles as they held a newspaper clipping only caused more worry for Harry.

"She's arriving by Muggle transport. Y'know those box things that slide across the ground?"

"Cars?"

"Yeah, those things. She's riding in one of them. Mental if you ask me. Floo's much faster."

Harry felt himself torn. Although Ron was correct, floo was practically instantaneous, the feeling of shooting through countless fire chutes was highly unpleasant, and not Harry's preferred from of transport.

Before Harry could being a list of pros and cons in his head, with Ginny readily agreeing to help, a door whooshed open, and Harry's favourite bushy haired witch stumbled into the Leaky Cauldron.

"Ron," she shouted joyfully, running in between bar stools and rickety tables to give the tall boy a hug, which turned slightly awkward when Hermione misjudged his height.

"You've grown!" Hermione admonished, staring up at Ron, who sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"I know, I'm even taller than Fred and George now," Ron admitted. Hermione then turned to face her other best friend. She skipped over and wrapped her arms around him in a friendly greeting hug.

"How have you been, Harry?" She asked, even though she knew everything that had happened to him. Hedwig had been busy traveling to both of his best friends throughout the summer.

"I'm good," Harry replied, giving her a quick squeeze of a hug in return. He thought that was what he was meant to do. He hadn't had too much experience with hugs in his childhood. Still, he found that he enjoyed Hermione's hugs. They were very warm and friendly.

The chord between Harry and Ginny thrummed with a strange, irritated sort of emotion bleeding from Ginny. Harry frowned, being unable to place the strange feeling.

_You all right Ginny?_

_I'm fine Harry. Just leave me alone._

Despite the impossibility of her request, Harry happily agreed with her, and turned his attention back to his best friends, who were bickering about where to go first. Ron was too stubborn for Hermione to convince, so they ended up making their way to the apothecary first. Ron wanted to look at some rat tonic for Scabbers who was looking deathly ill.

"I'm telling you, that day you got chased by Sirius after he broke in Gringotts, Scabbers was going mental. I swear he was trying to drown himself in the toilet," Ron said, before pausing to think about his story. "Now that I think about it, that may have been Fred and Georges fault, they were testing some new powders on him."

"Ron!" Hermione admonished, "No wonder he looks so sick."

They slowly made their way out of the Leaky Cauldron when harry realized Ginny was by herself. Fred and George had run off with that blasted newspaper clipping, Percy had slunk off to his room and the parents were all sitting at a table, chatting about everything from children, to magic, to teeth whitening products.

"Hey Ginny, do you want to come with us?" Harry called out. It was a strange feeling actually talking to communicate with her.

It was an even stranger feeling though to be staring at Ginny after spending a whole Summer in direct contact with her, but never actually seeing her. She didn't look that different form the last time Harry had seen her, right before the Hogwarts Express. Then again, he hadn't really been paying too much attention to how she looked. She had long red hair, freckles, and was shorter than him. That was about all Harry needed to know to distinguish her.

_Are you going to stop staring? I'll tell mum you won't stop looking at me._

_But would you really?_

_Probably not. She'd start planning the wedding._

"Well?" Harry asked, completely ignoring the wedding comment.

"I'm fine Harry," Ginny said sweetly.

_After spending a whole bloody summer stuck with you, you honestly think I want to spend _more_ time with you? Are you insane._

"Alright, I'll see you later than Ginny!" Harry called back pleasantly, before turning back to Ron and Hermione.

_Fine, spend your time by yourself then. I was just trying to be friendly._

Harry stormed out of the Leaky Cauldron, while Ginny simultaneously sat down in a wooden chair with a loud huff. Both of them completely missed Ron and Hermione's curious stares.

"Harry, what was all that about?" Ron asked, catching up to Harry.

"What do you mean?"

"You were talking to Ginny," Hermione explained, looking as curious as Ron was.

"So?"

Ron and Hermione glanced at each other.

"Harry, you've never actually spoken to Ginny before," Hermione said carefully.

"What are you going on about? I talk to her all the time," Harry replied nonchalantly.

"Like when?" Ron challenged, and Harry suddenly paled as he realized he had no response.

"Umm, like the time in the Chamber," Harry said lamely.

"And?" Hermione pestered.

"…and that's it?" Harry said weakly, his voice rising into a question at the end.

"So why were you talking to my sister all of a sudden?" Ron asked bluntly. He wasn't angry, just confused, as he probably should be.

"Look, it's Quality Quidditch Supplies!" Harry shouted suddenly, pointing at one of his favourite stores. Ron's eyes went wide and googly, of course, and any talk of his sister was banished form his mind as he was drawn to the firebolt on display. Hermione, of course, was not so easily distracted, but unlike Ron, she didn't seem as concerned.

"I think it's lovely that you're trying to talk to her," Hermione said to Harry, a calculating smile on her lips.

"Err, you do?" Harry said, confused at to her behaviour.

"Of course," she replied, giggling slightly. Harry just shook her strange behaviour off as a girl thing. Angry pulses throbbed through the chord.

_She's going to get it when we're alone._

_What?_

_Stop prying Harry?_

_What are you going to do to Hermione?_

_Nothing Harry, it's girl business._

_Well… if it's girl stuff then…_

_Exactly, don't bother with it anymore._

_I did wear a dress though! Doesn't that let me qualify to talk about girl stuff?_

_I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that._

The chord hummed in a pleasant melody as Ginny returned to her good mood, chuckling slightly to herself at Harry's comment.

"Hey Harry, check this out!" Ron shouted from the shop, and Harry almost forgot about Ginny as he became absorbed in the various broomsticks on display. It was impossible to forget someone however when they never left your mind.

* * *

Everyone reunited at Flourish and Blotts late in the afternoon to purchase the school books for the children. The Weasleys looked immensely relieved that instead of having to buy a whole collection of expensive Lockhart books, they were only required to buy one heavy, but cheap, encyclopedia on dark creatures.

Now with a little bit of extra pocket change, the various Weasleys were scattered around the book store, looking for anything that caught their fancy. Hermione was having trouble finding something that didn't catch her fancy. She flushed in embarrassment when the shopkeeper told her that unless she was buying the books, she had to stop placing them in her trolley.

Molly Weasley was hovering over all of her children, making sure they were behaving, or in the twin's case, not getting caught. She was glancing over several books herself however, and she pulled one particular book about baking magical desserts out of a shelf.

"Ginny! Have a look at this book!" Molly called out, and to her horror, every single Weasley in the store turned to stare at her with wide, shocked eyes. Every Weasley except for Ginny, who appeared rather frustrated by their behaviour.

"I'm so sorry dear," Molly said softly to Ginny, "I didn't mean to remind you of… well, that."

"Mum, I'm fine, just let me look at the book," Ginny said impatiently.

"It's alright sweetheart, you don't have to look at it. Mum understands."

"Hey Ginny, come over here," Fred called.

"I've got something great to show you," George added, reaching into his pockets for some various, probably home made, item.

_What's going on?_

_They've been like this all summer. Havn't you been paying attention Harry?_

_No, I have, it's just I didn't think it was this bad. _

Harry glanced at all the strained Weasley faces. Overprotective boys and an overbearing mother surrounded the sole daughter of the Weasley family.

_It's much different to see them react then it is to hear you think about it._

_It's hard to put into words just how hard it is for me…_

Sadness vibrated between the two of them, the chord pulsing with Ginny's chaotic emotions. It was strange for Harry, feeling such emotions from her. Throughout the whole summer, Ginny had always been strong, bold and straightforward. She knew what she wanted, and she had no qualms berating Harry for it. She was always Happy, even if on the verge of snapping at someone, and to feel the sadness pulsing from the chord just felt wrong.

Driven by his inner determination, Harry began scanning the book shop with a renewed vigour. He knew one would be around here somewhere. There was always one in every book shop.

_Harry, what are you doing?_

_Dictionary, school book, school book, Quidditch rules, famous duels, Hogwarts a history, Animagus training…_

_What are you looking for?_

_Found it!_

"Hey Ginny!" Harry called out from the upstairs pagoda floor of Flourish and Blotts. "What do you think of this diary?"

The talkative Weasleys in the store fell silent once again, identical shell-shocked expression on their face.

"W-What?"

"This diary," Harry said, waving his hand back and forth, holding a diary. "It's nice and white, and has lots of little flowers over it. Do you like stuff like that?

"H-Harry, stop that immediately," Molly stammered trying to get him to put the diary away, but Harry kept waving it around.

"White and flowery, that's what you like right?"

_Just like that dress you made me wear, right?_

Ginny couldn't help it. She burst into laughter. Her family watched her, looks of horror still cast across their faces. Harry continued to smile at her cheerfully, waving the diary back and forth while Ginny was on her knees, clutching her sides as the laughter caused her stomach to ache.

A flash blinded the occupants of the book store, and everyone turned to Hermione, who was holding a camera in her hand, a photo already developing as the camera whirred and buzzed.

"Sorry everyone," Hermione said, not sounding sorry at all, "But if you thought Harry's photo was funny, you haven't seen this one yet."

The Weasleys looked at each other slowly, still unsure, until Ginny skipped forwards and grabbed the photo from Hermione's hand. She took one glance at it and burst into laughter. Her cheery, chiming laughter rung through the bookstore, filling up the hollow atmosphere with her happiness.

Fred and George were the most curious Weasleys, and all too soon they were at Ginny's shoulders, staring over her head at the picture. They too were laughing as they saw their gob smacked expressions in the photo. Harry was leaning off a rail above everyone, holding the white flowery diary in his hands, shouting obnoxiously to Ginny with a wide smile on his face.

Ron saw the photo and flushed in embarrassment at his look of utter horror, but quickly found himself laughing when he realized how stupid all the Weasleys had been. Ginny hadn't needed protecting at all. Molly couldn't help but smile when she saw the perfectly happy Ginny, arms clasped around her chest as she laughed herself to tears.

Ginny glanced at Harry, who had made his way down the stairs. He had a proud smile on his face as he studied his handiwork.

_Thank you Harry._

_What are you talking about, I was just wondering if you wanted a diary, considering your last one is gone now._

_You're too humble sometimes. Just take the compliment. Thank you Harry._

"No, seriously, do you want the diary or not?"

* * *

Dinner had been one of the happiest meals Harry had ever eaten. The Weasleys were in some sort of happiness high after discovering that Ginny wasn't as nearly as traumatized as they though, and jokes, laughter and smiles were infectious across the able. Even Percy could be seen collaborating with the twins on their next prank.

_It's probably going to be against you Harry._

_Wait, why is that?_

_Because, from Fred and George's point of view, you pranked everyone today at the bookstore. This is their revenge._

_I'm pretty sure they've already had their revenge. Did you see how many copies of that newspaper clipping they had made?_

_Oh relax Harry, the whole world had seen that photo by now. What's the harm in a few more photos?_

…_it's harmful to my morale…_

Jibes were passed Harry's way all night about his dressing fetishes. Not that he really minded. He knew that none of the Weasleys meant anything by it, and Harry knew that if it had been Ron in his situation, Harry would have been laughing just as hard. He was however thankful that Hermione never made any jabs at him. She just smiled sympathetically at him every time a joke was made.

Dinner was soon over, and everyone was sent upstairs to pack their bags for Hogwarts tomorrow. Harry, Ron and Hermione dragged themselves up the stairs, Ginny trailing closely behind. Ginny parted ways, and went into her own room to pack. There was something more going on, but Harry couldn't quite figure it out, and he wasn't one to pry. They were doing that too much already.

Ron plunked himself down on his bed, looking ready to fall asleep despite his clothes littering the bedroom like a bizarre exhibit. Harry similarly collapsed on a pile of his clothes sprawled next to his trunk. Everything he owned was in one place, all he had to do was stuff it in the trunk. He didn't understand why Hermione was so uptight about organization. Maybe it was a girl thing.

_Hey!_

With plenty of mothering, nagging, and eventually threatening from Hermione, the two boys clambered out of their respectable locations and began tidying the room. Hermione even made Harry go through each shirt individually and fold and pack it away.

"Harry, all of these clothes are terrible!" Hermione admonished, poking a finger through a hole in one of his hand-me-downs from Dudley. He had been given that shirt for his ninth birthday, and it still fit. If it wasn't Dudley they were talking about, it would have been proof of magic.

"They're not that bad," Harry said defensively. He had grown rather attached to the old, thin rags.

_Just like a house elf._

_No! I am nothing like Dobby!_

_Well, when you think about it, you were pretty similar to him. You were kind of like the Dursley's human house elf._

…_We'll continue this another time…_

"I dunno mate," Ron said warily, eyeing the tent like, faded yellow shirt. "They're pretty bad."

"I guess they are," Harry said in defeat, sighing heavily.

"Listen mate, I'd give you some of my clothes, but well," Ron eyed his own trunk distastefully, "They're not much better."

"It's alright Ron, it's the thought that counts."

"Oh, Harry! You could have some of my clothes!"

"Really Hermione? That'd be great!" Harry said, a wide smile on his face. A wide smile that slowly slid away.

"Wait a minute…" Harry said slowly as Ron burst into laughter. Hermione was having trouble keeping her lips pressed together.

"You traitor!" Harry shouted in disbelief, "You were meant to be on my side!"

"But- but Harry… You were in a dress!" Hermione said, squealing as her laughter took over. Harry growled and grabbed a nearby pillow, yanking it off the half made bed and launching it at hysterical witch. It hit her in the chest with a soft poof, and she turned to him with serious eyes.

"Do you know what you just started?" Hermione said, all traces of laughter in her voice gone. Harry gulped.

"A pillow fight!" she squealed, jumping up to her feet and throwing the pillow back at Harry, who dived out of the way.

"Oi, what are you too doing," Ron said in exasperation. "If you make too much noise Mum'll check up on us." He was ignored however, as both Harry and Hermione simultaneously threw two pillows at him. He caught them both however, one in each hand, demonstrating his keeper skills.

"Hermione's right," Ron said, a manic grin forming on his face as he threw the pillows back at their owners, "You don't know what you just started."

* * *

Ginny smiled to herself as she listened to Harry playing like a child, throwing pillows around the room and playfully threatening his friends with various soft objects.

Truthfully, it made her rather envious. She wished she had friends like Harry had Ron and Hermione.

Still, now that Harry was sufficiently distracted, Ginny had several private minutes to herself. Quickly, realizing that the pillow fight could end at any moment, she reached into the top of her trunk and withdrew the white and flowery diary Harry had purchased for her. She placed the diary religiously on the bedside table.

Unlike Tom's black, leather bound diary with yellowed pages, belying its age, this diary was bright, made of cheap paper materials and embellished with little trails of flowers. The biggest difference however, was that Harry had given this to her. Not a stranger, not Lucious Malfoy, not Tom Riddle, but Harry Potter.

The clock on the wall ticked, reminding her of the time limit. Her chord was vibrating ceaselessly, as adrenaline pumped through Harry's body, and his breathing became laboured. It must be one hell of a pillow fight.

She reached into her trunk again and pulled out a photograph that Hermione had given her. It was the one that had been taken in Flourish and Blotts. She stared at herself, laughing cheerfully and freely. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so happy. Her eyes began tearing up, but she quickly wiped at them before the droplets fell on and ruined the photograph.

With a few adhesive charms, Ginny stuck the picture of her, Harry and her shell-shocked Weasley family onto the back of the front cover. It was a reminder to her of everything that was special to her.

The most important part however, the part Harry couldn't know about, and so she had to do it in the shadow of his distraction, was the second picture. With a fond smile on her face, Ginny reached into her trunk and pulled out a photograph Fred and George had given her. It was one of the hundreds of copies of the newspaper clipping they had ordered.

Harry stood, a look of surprise and irritation on his face as the dress on his body rippled in the wind. The black dog at his feet was panting and waving it's tail happily, and the Lockhart fans behind him were pushing each other out of the way to get to the front of the photo.

With careful hands and a steady incantation, Ginny stuck the second photograph to the inside of the back cover. She ran her fingers softly over the glossy picture. It was a picture of Harry. Not of the perfect Harry Potter she had believed in all those years ago, but the real Harry Potter, flawed, slightly lost, and wearing a dress.

Ginny had told herself that she was over her ridiculous childhood crush, but surely there was nothing wrong to just slightly fancy someone?

_Ginny?_

She snapped the diary shut and quickly began memorizing the various female toiletries she had packed away in her trunk.

_Er, I'll just leave you to it then._

Ginny breathed heavily. That had been close. She grabbed the diary, her diary, with a white and flowery cover, containing images of everything she held dear, and slipped it back into her trunk.

* * *

**And here is the third chapter. Was it what you expected? Was it worth the wait (yeah right)? Is it the longest chapter I have ever written (damn right)? Am I hoping you guys enjoy it? OF COURSE!**

Let me know what you think :)

**Cheers**

**-Council**


	4. Setting a Record

Part One: The Resistance of the Soul Bond  
Book: The Executor of Azkaban  
Chapter: Setting a Record

* * *

"Quickly now, quickly, the train's leaving in," Molly checked her wrist frantically, before remembering she had never worn a watch. She instead glanced up at the station clock pinned up in-between platforms nine and ten. "In seven minutes!"

_Are you guys always this late to everything?_

_Only when you're involved Harry._

_Ha ha, very funny…_

With a frantic push on the back from Molly, Harry sped his trolley into the solid wall of platform nine and three quarters. He still closed his eyes as he braced himself for an impact he knew would not occur. It wasn't that he didn't have faith, it's just that it was all a little scary.

_Scaredy cat._

_One day, I'll take you to a theme park, and then we'll see who the scardey cat is._

_Bring it on._

The Weasleys and Harry quickly pushed their trolleys to the edge of the train, and the older boys began quickly unloading the luggage into overhead compartments with a well-practiced ease. Molly began hastily walking around; smothering her children in motherly hugs, and forcing corned beef sandwiches into their hesitant hands. Arthur, however, grabbed Harry by the shoulder and dragged him behind a nearby pillar in the station.

"Harry, there's something you need to know," Arthur said seriously, glancing around him nervously, as if afraid someone would overhear his conversation. "Molly must not find out I told you this," he said in a tense voice.

"It's alright Mr. Weasley," said Harry, "I already know about Sirius Black.

Arthur stared at him with a look of confusion and shock.

"Right, well, what I was actually going to say was that if you see my Ford Anglia, you try and send it home for me, but yeah, Sirius Black, you be careful around him," Arthur finished rather lamely.

_He really loved that car, didn't he?_

_You have no idea how long he spent moping in the garage when it disappeared into the Forbidden Forest._

_That bad?_

_That bad. Mum had to get a- What's that?_

"Now, I understand that she probably won't listen to you," Arthur explained quickly, his hand sifting through one of his pockets.

"Who, Ginny?" Harry asked, confused, trying to balance two conversations.

"Ginny? Good lord, no. I mean the Ford Anglia!" Arthur exclaimed.

_Harry, what is this?_

"Now, see this key ring here? Press this button when you see the car, and it should domesticate it again. I haven't actually been able to test it out though, so be carefully when you do," Mr. Weasley said sheepishly. "Can you do that for me Harry?"

_It's writing. Or, well, graffiti. Harry, are you listening?_

"Uh, yeah, I'll do my best Mr. Weasley," Harry said distractedly, grabbing the key ring, moments before the Hogwarts Express whistled loudly, and begun chugging into action.

"Excellent, off you go then Harry!" Arthur said happily, "and remember, not a word to Molly!"

"Not a word of _what_, Arthur?" Molly said in a sugary voice with barely contained anger.

"Nothing dear," Arthur said, trying to placate his furious wife, but it was an hopeless attempt, and he yelped in pain when Molly dragged him by his ear out of the station.

Harry jumped onboard the Hogwarts Express before he could have been dragged into the marital argument. He wasn't a moment too soon either, as the train had really picked up speed by the time he had launched himself onwards.

_Harry, what does this mean?_

_What does what mean?_

_Bad Vibrations. It's what is written on the wall._

…_Ginny, are you on the Hogwart__s Express?_

* * *

Ginny stared up at the expansive brick wall that framed the edges of the magical train station. Glistening, black ink melted slowly down the bricks, but the words that were spelt were still easily legible.

Bad Vibrations.

Each letter was written in a thick, bolded, ominous font that made Ginny shiver as she stared at it. She felt dizzy as the blood rushed from her head. She lost hearing in her ears, and only a ceaseless ringing could be heard. She didn't hear the train as it whistled for the final time, and slowly chugged away. She simply remained transfixed at the message on the wall.

Bad Vibrations.

_Harry, what does this mean?_

_What does what mean?_

_Bad Vibrations. It's what is written on the wall._

Harry seemed irritatingly unconcerned through the chord however. It appeared he was more worried about something else.

…_Ginny, are you on the Hogwarts Express?_

Ginny whipped her body around to face the train. The train that was no longer there. Metallic tracks littered the empty station. She turned to find her parents, but found they had already disappeared.

She had missed the Hogwarts Express.

_Harry! I'm not on the train!_

_Yeah, I figured that much out._

Panic pulsed through their chord, but Ginny felt a tinge of amusement from Harry.

_Something funny?_

_Well, the same thing happened to Ron and I last year. It looks like you'll be carrying on our tradition._

_Unfortunately, we're currently out of cars to fly into the Whomping Willow._

_Right…_

Ginny glanced around the station, which was completely empty by now. All the magicals had apparated away as soon as the train was gone, and all the Muggles had quickly made their exit, not feeling comfortable in such a magical location.

_Harry, what am I going to do! I don't want to be expelled! After what happened last year they're sure to expel me._

_No they're not. Dumbledore would never do that.._

_But Snape would._

_Then it's a good thing that he's not Headmaster._

They both shivered.

_What am I going to do though Harry?_

_I dunno, sorry, I'm trying to find Ron and Hermione right now._

_Harry!_

There was no legible response.

_Harry!_

Harry wasn't very good at hiding things through the chord. It was blatantly obvious when he was trying. He would always start singing strange, Muggle, ritual music.

_Bananas, in Pyjamas, they're running-_

_Can you please stop that?_

_Are coming down in pairs._

Ginny huffed angrily. She didn't know what she had been expecting from Harry.

"Obviously not this," a voice said cheekily from in front of her. She only half bit back a squeal when Harry's floating face appeared mere feet from her. He chuckled at her, the rumbling action causing the rest of the cloak to slide off his body, revealing the Nimbus 2000 he was riding.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ginny demanded, but she couldn't help but smile at him. Harry smiled back, before clearing his throat.

"Congratulations! You're the lucky 1000th passenger of the Hogwarts Express. In celebration, you have won a free scenic view trip to Hogwarts with none other than the famous Harry Potter," Harry said dramatically, much like the spokesman he had heard on the television before. Ginny simply stared at him.

_You're an idiot._

_Just hurry up and get on the back of the broom._

* * *

Harry eyed Ginny, who seemed to be contemplating whether to ride on the broom or not. He was having trouble hearing her thoughts, as they were being shot off too fast, and also because the two had promised each other not to purposely try and eavesdrop on one another. It was pretty hard not to though when the voice was resounding within your mind.

Finally, Ginny smiled at him and clambered onto the back of the broom. Harry retrieved the invisibility cloak and wrapped it over the two of them, ensuring that even the broom was covered. He didn't want any bird watchers catching another picture of Harry and a Weasley on a floating contraption.

_Ready?_

_All set._

"Broom broom, off we go," Harry joked.

_That was a terrible pun._

_Was it really that bad?_

_I will honestly jump off the broom if I hear another one like that._

…_I'm so sorry…_

Leaning forwards, slightly more than normal to account for the extra weight-

_Hey!_

The Nimbus 2000 took off, demonstrating its prowess as one of the top market brooms by quickly reaching an exhilaration speed. The invisibly cloak slipped off Harry's shoulders.

_Ginny!_

Ginny's hands around Harry's waist suddenly snapped forwards, gripped the cloak in her tiny fists, and then wrapped her arms tightly around Harry's middle.

_Got it!_

_Uhh, you're squishing me._

_Oops, sorry._

Ginny loosened her grip around Harry's waist, suddenly realizing just how close she was to him. She felt the blush rush to her cheeks, and groaned when she realized that Harry could sense her emotions through the chord.

Fortunately Harry was blushing as well.

That didn't stop Ginny from burying her head into the back of his shoulders in embarrassment.

"So what do we do now?" Ginny shouted after several minutes had passed, and her heart had calmed down. Harry couldn't hear her over the roaring wind, but he could hear the thoughts in her mind.

_We either ride all the way to Hogwarts, or land on the Hogwarts Express and sneak in._

_I'm not riding all the way to Hogwarts like this!_

_Then we're in agreement, we're breaking into the Hogwarts Express._

_You make that sound easy._

_I'm Harry Potter, trust me when I say this won't be easy._

The Hogwarts Express could be seen ahead, puttering along at a speed pitiful compared to a state of the art racing broom. Harry and Ginny swooped down until they were soaring beside the crimson train. They spied the many cabins, each laden with students from various age groups and houses.

There no empty cabins however. Harry spotted Ron and Hermione, chatting together in a cabin with a sleeping, man in ragged robes, but both he and Ginny agreed they didn't want to notify them of their current situation. They swooped up and down the train several times, desperately searching for an entrance, but there was none. Harry did have fun swooping in between the carriages however, enjoying the exhilaration and possible danger of such an action.

_Do it again, this time with a spiral!_

_Your wish is my command. Just hold tight onto the cloak._

Ginny squeezed her arms around his middle, holding the cloak firmly in her fists. Harry pulled up into the sky, and after pivoting on the point of the broom, shot back at the train. Harry laughed, while Ginny squealed in elation, as he pumped his right foot back, and the broom began spiraling erratically.

_Have you ever done a spiral dive before?_

_Nope._

Ginny's joyful squeal changed to a legitimate scream of horror as they whooshed in between the carriages of a train, the broom ceaselessly spiraling. Harry let his instincts take over, and with slight variances of his body balance, he controlled the spiral dive perfectly between carriages, over and over again. Ginny was laughing again by this point, making Harry smile in accomplishment.

_You prat, you said you've never done that before._

_I havn't._

…_You mean that was all natural?_

_Yep._

_Wow._

_I do believe I have left the voice in my head speechless. Ah, sweet serenity, how I have missed you-_

_Shut up._

_-And there she is again._

The two had completely forgotten about their attempts to break into the train as Ginny continued to order Harry to attempt more and more risqué maneuvers. Having been to several Quidditch games with her family, she had seen some of the more professional moves being used, and Harry was all too eager to experiment.

_Now do the Hurricane Extraordinaire!_

_What?_

_Actually, don't do that one. You have to jump off the broom for that._

_I could do that!_

_Not with me on the back._

…_I bet I could still do it…_

_If you drop me, there's going to be hell to pay._

_Fine, what's another move?_

_The Reverse Boom Burst._

_Sounds cool._

_So, you have to start at a minimal speed. Accelerate as harshly as possible forwards, and then immediately accelerate backwards._

Following her instructions, and her vague hazy memories she tried to describe, Harry launched himself forwards, his stomach jolting, before whipping himself backwards. A frightening crack resounded in the air around them as Harry found the broomstick rocketing backwards, completely out of control and spinning wildly. Relying on instinct, he rolled his right ankle backwards, leant down on his right shoulder, and pulled up slightly with his left hand, making sure to not apply any pressure with his thumb.

_How do you know all that?_

_Instincts._

The broom straightened up in a manner of seconds, but Harry still found himself speeding backwards, the train slowly rolling along out of side. Harry's ears still hurt from the sudden cracking that had resulted when he had thrown the broom backwards.

_What was with that noise? It was like a whip cracking._

_That's why they call it the Reverse Boom Burst._

…_Should we catch back up the train now?_

_Let's do it._

Dragging his right leg outwards, letting it drift in the wind, Harry swung the broom around in a sharp pivot, causing Ginny to scream and once more tighten her grip around him, something that was becoming more and more natural to him.

_Don't get too used to it. Once we're off the broom I'm not holding you like this again._

_Who said I wanted you to?_

_Why you… Fine then, I don't care._

_Fine. I don't care either._

The two huffed in indignation, mirroring one another perfectly. Their silent treatment with one another didn't last long however, as their various thoughts and observances about the landscape around them eventually restarted their conversation. In the distance Harry saw an eagle soaring gracefully in the sky.

_I spy with my little eye, something beginning with E._

_Eagle._

_How'd you know?_

…_Harry, I can hear your thoughts._

…_oh, right. Let me try again then._

_What? Do you not understand? We can hear each others thoughts!_

_I know. I'll just pick an object without thinking about it._

_Seriously?  
_

_I spy with my little eye, something beginning with C._

_Clouds?_

…_I don't know, I haven't thought about what the word is yet…_

_This is hopeless._

_Once more._

_No._

_Please!_

…_fine._

_I spy with my little eye, something beginning with D._

_I don't know… Harry, what's that?_

_What's what?_

_That._

_Oh, that._

_Yeah, that. what's that?_

_I'm not too sure, but it's getting kind of cold, don't you think?_

_Kind of gloomy as well, look at the sky._

_I'm starting to feel a little funny actually._

_Dementors!_

_Nope, that's not the word I'm thinking of._

_What? No I meant that's what those things are._

_Oh, really? That's a relief, because I haven't actually thought of what my word is yet._

_Can you stop playing your stupid game and fly away?_

_On it._

Despite his joking, Harry realized just how much of a threat these Dementors must pose. If the shadowy, cloaked creatures were causing the darkness, coldness, and general gloomy atmosphere, they must have been wicked monsters.

Fortunately, the Dementors didn't seem interested in the two flyers. Harry thought it may have been because they were still under the invisible cloak, but whatever the reason, the Dementors quickly swarmed the Hogwarts Express. Harry and Ginny watched the creatures seep into the train like a dark fog.

_We have to help them._

_Help them how, Harry? You don't even know how to fend off a Dementor._

_So what if I don't know, I just can't sit here and do nothing!_

_That's exactly what you should do! It's not your responsibility to go after saving people whenever they're in trouble. Just leave it to an adult._

_And what if I'd left you to the adults?_

…

Feeling like he had won the argument, Harry veered the Nimbus 2000 in the direction of the train and shot towards it. A blinding, silvery light lit up the middle of the train however, and moments later the Dementors fled the train, wailing in a frustration and pain. Dozens of the Dementors shot outwards directly at Harry and Ginny, and he was forced to roll the broom to the side to avoid them.

He wasn't quite fast enough however, as one of the Dementors suddenly stopped and twisted their hooded head directly at Harry and Ginny, despite the two still being firmly wrapped within the invisibility cloak. With uncanny nimbleness, the Dementor whipped out a cloaked hand, and gnarled fingers grazed the edge of the cloak.

Harry shivered as he heard manical laughter from all around him. He heard a woman screaming inside his head.

_Please, not Harry. Anything but Harry, please don't hurt him._

_Ginny?_

_Move aside, foolish girl._

_No, not Harry!_

_Harry!_

_Not Harry!_

_Harry, the train!_

Flung back into conciousness by Ginny's frantic voice, Harry's eyes widened at the scarlet train exterior just meters away from them. He yanked the broom upwards with as much force as possible, causing maximum decelration. The broom was pointed directly up at the sky, and Ginny was forced to squeeze Harry's middle hard to hold on.

Despite the brooms deceleration, they still hit the train, but with Harry's feet first. Pushing off with as much force as possible, Harry not only prevented the impact, but caused the broom to shoot upwards, away from the train and the Dementors.

_What… what was that? I heard you screaming?_

_I was only screaming at you to miss the bloody train. I don't know what the rest was._

_Knock knock, is there someone else in here with us?_

_Do you know who the woman sounded like?_

_No… but she sounded so familiar._

Harry finally pulled out of his rapid ascension when they must have been about a thousand feet above the ground. However, a group of Dementors followed immediately, bringing with them the dark atmosphere, and the sudden lack of happiness within Harry. Leaning forwards, Harry shot away on the Nimbus, but the Dementors were surprisingly agile, and able to keep up with the broom.

_Nobody will ever love you Ginny._

_No. Keep out of my head._

_You're a foolish girl. Harry Potter would never love someone like you._

_Please… no…_

_Ginny! Ginny, are you alright?_

_Ginny! You are mine now. Mine forever._

_Ginny, come back to me._

_Ginny, come with me._

Dementors suddenly swept upwards in front of Harry, blocking off his path, while Dementors flanked him on either side. The ghastly creaturs closed in, intent on trapping him. Harry didn't know what they would do when they caught him, but he didn't plan on finding out.

Yanking the broom backwards with as much force as possible, Harry caused a cracking sound wave to erupt within the sky as his broom shot backwards. The surprised Dementors struggled to turn around and keep up with Harry as he successfully completed a Reverse Boom Burst.

_Ginny, are you all right?_

_Get out of my head!_

_Ginny, it's me, Harry._

_Oh… Harry. It was- It was terrible._

_I know. Don't worry, I'm getting us out of here._

Although Harry could not see Hogwart's castle, he could see the familiar mountains that hid the magnificent castle, and he knew he wasn't terribly far away. They would be safe in Hogwarts. They just had to get there. The Dementors floated in-between Harry and his destination, taunting him with their silent stares.

Harry shot downwards into a dive, intent on passing them underneath. He would have made it, but as he neared them, the woman in his head stared screaming, and he felt his broom being dragged towards the dark creatures. Only the tightening of Ginny's arms around his middle kept him conscious of his goal.

Soaring between two Dementors, Harry winced as their gnarled hands shot outwards, scraping the edges of the cloak. Ginny shuddered, and Harry felt her grip loosening.

_Hold on Ginny, don't give up on me yet._

_Please… Hurry…_

Harry swept to the side, dragging his left foot against the air to pivot around another Dementor that came sweeping in from the side. Immediately, Harry drove his right foot down, pivoting in the opposite direction, and faking out several of his pursuers. He was then forced to pull the broom straight upwards, as a stream of Dementors soared directly in front of him.

Harry felt Ginny's grip weakening even further. The invisibility cloak shuddered in the wind, and the next moment it was torn out of her hands and sent fluttering in the cold, dark wind. Harry would have cared more about the cloak if Ginny hadn't then slipped off the broom, her arms limp at her side as she lost the last of her strength.

"Ginny," Harry roared. Not even thinking about the consequences, Harry lifted one foot onto the stick of the broom, and pushed off in Ginny's direction. The broom began spinning violently from his kick off, which caused the wild Nimbus 2000 to begin spiraling downwards to the ground as if caught in a hurricane.

Harry tucked his arms into his side and snapped his feet together, desperately trying to gain speed towards Ginny. The ground was quickly moving closer towards them, and although a thousand feet sounded like a long way a way, it wasn't far when they were falling.

_Ginny, I'm coming!_

_Help… please…_

Harry finally reached Ginny, her limp body spinning out of control as she plummeted towards the ground. He glimpsed his broomstick whoosing past him in a circle as it continued to spin like a hurricane. Ginny's red hair was waving wildly as her body whipped around. Harry allowed himself to fall until he was beneath her, and then he pulled out his arms and legs, creating as much wind resistance as possible. He felt Ginny slam into his back, a strange feeling when one was falling uncontrollably. Moments later the Nimbus 2000 whooshed past again.

_Ginny, grab onto me._

They were now far away enough from the Dementors that she had enough strength to obey, and Harry felt her arms once again wrap themselves around his waist. The ground was quickly coming to meet them, but Harry confidently held out his right hand, and an instant later the familiar wooden handle of his Nimbus 2000 slammed into his grip.

Harry winced as he felt bones in his hand crack from the impact, but he grasped the broom tightly nonetheless and pulled it beneath him. Ginny, still clinging to his waist from behind, slipped onto the broom smoothly straight after him, and not a moment too soon Harry pulled the broom upwards, slowing their dive to the ground. Their feet skimmed the roof of the train, and for the second time that day, Harry pushed off the train, and launched himself back into flight, desperately speeding towards the safety of Hogwarts.

_Harry, I don't believe it! That was the Hurricane Extraordinaire!_

_See, I told you I could do it and still catch you._

_I… I guess you could. Thank you Harry._

Warm affection flooded their chord, causing Harry to blush in embarrassment. Ginny's heartfelt emotions were a comforting remedy to the darkness of the Dementors that trailed behind, but were slowly disappearing as Harry reached the maximum speed on the Nimbus.

_No need to thank me. I'd do it all over again if I had to._

_Oh, we're doing that again Harry._

_What? You mean with the Dementors-_

_No, I mean the Hurricane Extraordinaire! That was brilliant! You're really going to have to teach me that one._

Harry chuckled, his mood elated even more as Hogwarts castle came into view. Mysterious, twinkling lights flickering in the various windows of the seven-story castle, welcoming the various magical students inside.

_I'm back._

_We're back._

Harry pulled the broom into a gentle landing on the Hogwarts grounds, admiring the view the whole while. Moonlight and starlight glistened on the surface of the inky black lake, in which Harry could see the faint silhouettes of the first years and Hagrid on rowing boats, slowly creeping their way towards the castle.

Similarly, Harry and Ginny crept towards the entrance doors, wary of being caught by Snape. Harry wasn't sure how Snape would handle Harry not taking the train a second time.

A loud, barking caused Harry and Ginny to spin around, eyeing the area for the source of the noise.

_Do you see anything Harry?_

_Nope, did we imagine it?_

_I don't think so. We both heard it._

Again, a single bark that sounded like it came from mere meters from Ginny's feet echoed around them. Harry and Ginny stared at the spot where the bark came from, and they could have sworn they heard a soft panting. Harry edged closer, his wand drawn, and a tickling hex on the tip of his tongue, when the bark came from behind him. Startled he whipped around, to see a headless, great shaggy black dog.

Harry stared at the dog, and he could have sworn it stared back at him.

"Woof," the headless dog went, and Harry jumped backwards. The dog rolled onto it's back, wagging its tail in amusement, and the rest of Harry's invisibility cloak slipped off the hound. The dog had a goofy, mischievous twinkle in its eyes as its tongue flopped out of its jaw, dangling loosely on the crisp grass.

Harry struggled to calm his beating heart, while Ginny struggled to contain her laughter.

_Ginny. Don't laugh._

_But! But the dog. It scared you._

_It was Headless! That's not normal._

The dog was eyeing the two of them, still upside down, legs sticking up in their, and its tail started wagging rapidly, rapping the solid earth, as Harry and Ginny started laughing.

The dog, with slow, steady and deliberate movements, rolled over, picked up the invisibility cloak in its jaws, and dragged it over to Harry. Harry grabbed it, and tried to take it from the dog, but the hound growled playfully, and tugged back at it, thinking it was a game of tug of war.

"Hey, stop it," Harry ordered, "That's my dad's cloak, let it go." The dog stopped pulling, and looked up at Harry with curious eyes.

"It's all I have left from my dad, please don't tear it," Harry pleaded. The dog lowered its head, almost shamefully, and let go of the precious cloak, slinking backwards into the shadows.

"Thank you," Harry said gratefully to the strange dog.

_He seems rather… intelligent, doesn't it?_

The dog was chasing its tail, and when it finally caught it, it bit down too hard. He was now curled up on the ground, whimpering in pain. Ginny snorted.

_Not really._

_You know what I mean._

_You're right, he's not a normal dog._

Threatening growling erupted from the dog's jaws, as it's lips unfurled to reveal a line of jagged, canine teeth. Harry stepped in front of Ginny protectively before he realized the dog wasn't growling at them. The silhouette of a cloaked, tall man with a gigantic bladed weapon hanging off his back marched towards them.

_It… It's Death!_

_Don't be stupid Ginny, death isn't a person._

_Haven't you ever read the Tales of Beedle the Bard?_

_Nah, I was a normal kid and just watched Bananas in Pajamas._

…_I'm pretty sure you're the weird one here._

As Harry and Ginny continued to bicker, the large man finally reached them, and the soft moonlight was enough to illuminate his features. Spiky black hair, a rugged beard, and a single tooth missing from his perfect smile reminded Harry of who this was.

"Macnair?"

"The one and only. Now, what the axe are you two doing out here? Surely you should be with the others on the carriages by now," Despite his intimidating demeanor, he spoke casually, as if they were old drinking friends. Despite that, Ginny couldn't help but hide behind Harry. The man's axe was undoubtedly scary.

"Well, uh, about that," Harry began, trying to explain without incriminating them. "We had a little trouble on the way over." Harry was certain his lame excuse wouldn't hold, but Macnair suddenly smiled, his missing tooth standing out.

"Don't tell me you're the reason why my Dementors were going crazy?" Macnair asked, sounding relieved that he knew the reason. When Harry meekly nodded Macnair laughed, a rough but cheerful sound. The black dog at Harry's feet growled at the man, but he just continued to laugh.

"Good boy," Macnair chuckled, unconsciously running his hands to the axe on his back. "Is he your pet, Potter?"

"Umm," Harry stammered. The black dog looked up at him with its twinkling onyx eyes. "Yeah, he is."

"He's a good dog. What's his name?"

"Uh."

_Prince._

"Prince," Harry said, repeating Ginny instanteously. The black dog froze, and looked up at Harry with horrified eyes, before the dog slowly shrugged its shoulders, and sat down on its haunches, raising its head in a noble manner.

"He's a smart dog," Macnair noted.

"Yeah, that's what you'd think," Harry muttered dryly.

"Potter! Weasley!" A drawling voice called out, and the two children in question groaned.

"Come inside immediately," Snape drawled, his beetle black eyes glinting furiously.

"Ah, why it's Severus, how have you been?" Macnair said casually, treating the Potions teacher like an old aquaintance.

"What are you doing here?" Snape drawled, marching along until he was in between Macnair and the two children. "I don't recall anyone in any dire need of an executioner."

"Other than yourself," Macnair threatened, but in a cheery, casual voice.

"Potter! Weasley! Into the great hall now. I promise you will have detention for every week of the year for this stunt of yours." Ginny groaned, but Harry didn't seem too bothered.

_Don't worry, Dumbledore will revoke the punishment. He always does._

_Are you sure? This is me we're talking about. I should have been expelled last year._

_And you weren't, because Dumbledore said so. He's a great man, he'll help us, don't worry._

"Potter, now!" Prince growled at Snape, baring his vicious teeth. "And take your mutt with you."

"To answer your question, Severus, I'm here because Sirius Black got too close to young Potter in Diagon Alley. They thought Hogwarts would need a little more protection than just the Dementors."

"And they would let you of all people near Potter. Dumbledore would never allow it," Severus replied fiercely.

"Why, I'm hurt Severus. Dumbledore let's you near the boy, why not me? We're both the same side of that rusty coin, aren't we?"

"We're nothing alike, Walden," Snape spat.

"Ah, I thought you'd say that," Macnair replied, smirking and running a hand through his spiky hair. "Potter, Weasley, I'm sure I'll see you around."

"Potter, Weasley, I thought I told you to leave," Snape said tensely. It was only then that Harry noticed that Snape had his wand in hand, and that the man's body was tense, as if anticipating a fight.

"Right. Sorry sir," Harry replied, and quickly fled, Ginny and Prince hot at his heels.

They arrived at the Great Hall at the same moment the students from the carriages started flooding their way in. The two slipped into the crowd as discreetly as possible, and then settled down at the Gryffindor table, looking desperately at the table devoid of food in front of them.

_Breakfast was a long time ago._

_That was a good breakfast…_

_It was just Leaky Cauldron food. It's always really greasy._

_Yeah, but it was still better than anything the Dursleys gave me._

…_You're coming to stay with us next summer._

"Harry!" Hermione cried, launching herself over the table, crashing into the surprised, bespectacled boy, and pushing him to the ground. "You're alright. I thought… I thought…"

"Blimey mate, don't scare us like that," Ron said disapprovingly, eyeing his friend. "If Hedwig hadn't been so calm, we would have alerted the teachers that you were missing."

"We thought that Sirius had caught you!" Hermione snuffled, trying to hold back her tears. Ron didn't seem too happy either, although he looked more irritated.

_I didn't even think about them._

_Really, aren't they all you ever think about though?_

_Well, I was with you the whole day._

A warm feeling of pleasure flushed through the chord.

"I'm really sorry Hermione, I didn't think about Sirius at all." Harry said, beginning his apology.

"Of course you didn't think," Ron grumbled, sitting down beside Ginny. "You never think."

"Look who's talking," Harry replied, smiling.

"Fair point," Ron agreed, before looking at the table, "Where's the food?"

"Honestly Ron. We lost Harry for a whole train ride, finally found him, and all you care about it food?" Hermione said in disbelief. Ron just stared at her confused.

"But I'm hungry."

"I'm fine Hermione, and I promise I won't do anything like that again," Harry said, trying to calm her down. It seemed to work, because she finally stood up, and settled down on the bench. Harry quickly picked himself up and sat down beside her.

"Fine, but you're telling me what you were doing the whole train ride," Hermione demanded.

"I will, but after the sorting. It's a bit of a long story."

"Oh, hey there Ginny," Ron said, suddenly noticing his sister's presence. "Had a good train ride?"

…_He's the worst big brother in the world._

"Quiet, everyone. We shall now commence the sorting!" McGonagall called out, and the Great Hall quieted immediately.

The sorting was a long and arduous process. Harry, Ron and Ginny all sat with their arms clutched around their growling stomachs, all of them receiving disapproving glares from Hermione. Finally, Dumbledore stood up to partake some final words of wisdom before the feast began.

"Ah, let's see here. The Forbidden Forest is forbidden, the Great lake is great, the Whomping Willow will whomp anyone that gets near it, and the List of Banned Objects are still all banned."

"And finally!" Dumbledore announced, "I would like to congratulate Mr. Potter on missing the Hogwarts Express for the second year in a row and flying to Hogwarts." Harry groaned, as Ron and Hermione stared at him with open mouths.

"For setting a new school record, I present Gryffindor with twenty house points."

_I told you he was awesome._

_But… but, we should be in trouble!_

_Yeah, but he's Dumbledore._

Snape looked absolutely appalled.

* * *

**Alright, so the reviews were pretty extreme. You guys either hated my Ginny, or loved her. I don't really know what to say, except to explain things from my point of view. Ginny dislikes Harry at the beginning because she is still getting over Tom being in her head, just like Harry is now. However, as you can see, that is quickly wearing off. Secondly, as to why Ginny seems much... angrier? crueler? than in most stories? Well, that is because, it is my belief that any girl that grows up in a household with six older brothers will end up being a little angrier than your average girl. Not because she means it, but because sometimes, thats the only way to deal with boys.**

**WHen J.K. Rowling describes Ginny as having a temper, I'm pretty sure she didn't mean a cute little temper tantrum thing, but something that is actually a little difficult to deal with. Ginny isn't a perfect character, she's no Mary Sue, but she is one of my favourite characters :P**

**Anyway, that's my rant done. Hopefully this chapter amuses you all.**

**Cheers**

**-Council**


	5. Back To School

Knives and forks clattered against the Hogwarts plates and dishes as countless of ravenous student, and one especially ravenous Ronald Weasley, consumed inconceivable amounts of food. Harry however wasn't very interested in his breakfast. He glanced up, and found Hermione staring at him, a quizzical glint in her intelligent eyes.

Harry blushed, and glanced back down at his food, but he only pushed it around with his fork. After several moments he glanced back up at Hermione, only to find her still staring at him. Still blushing, he glanced back down at his plate.

"Want some sauce?" Ron asked helpfully, "Whenever I'm not feeling hungry-" Hermione snorted, "It helps my appetite."

"Thanks Ron," Harry said appreciatively, reaching for the tomato sauce and smothering his bacon and eggs in the red liquid. Harry suddenly felt himself blushing once again, and with even less of an appetite than before. Finally, unable to help himself, Harry leaned over the table to Hermione, and whispered in her ear within cupped hands.

"Hey, Hermione…"

"Yes, Harry?" She replied very calmly, but Harry could tell by the twitching of her fingers that she was excited about solving some sort of riddle within her life.

"Is it true that girls uh… bleed from down there every month?"

Whatever Hermione had been expecting had obviously not been that. She blushed a deep scarlet, making any Weasley proud of her. She somewhat recomposed herself, and whispered back to Harry.

"Well, yeah. It's true," Hermione admitted, causing Harry to groan. "Harry, how did you find out about that?"

_I think I deserve an apology._

_All right, fine! I'm sorry I didn't believe that girls bled themselves out every month!_

_How could you not believe me! You could literally hear my thoughts as it started happening to me!_

_Even you have to admit that it's a little strange. I mean, come on, that's like saying guys pee purple every morning!_

…_Do they really?_

…_How about you ask Ron._

"Harry?" Hermione asked worriedly. Harry realized he had been ignoring her. "Listen Harry, I know it's a really sudden shock, but don't think that girls are any different because of that. Harry, snap out of it! Harry, you're turning pale, are you all right?"

"Ah, sorry Hermione. I'm fine. I just kind of…. Blanked out for a moment."

"It's ok. I understand," Hermione said softly. "I'd be pretty shocked if I learnt that guys peed purple in the morning or something like that."

"Wait, guys actually pee purple?" Ginny said, stumbling over and catching the last of Hermione's words.

"Yeah, of course we do," Harry replied indignantly, "Don't we Ron!" Harry said, nudging his friend.

"Huh, wha? Oh yeah, of course we do!" Ron replied, a little lost, before quickly turning back to his breakfast.

"See, I wasn't lying," Harry said proudly, smirking at Ginny, who looked liker her world had been turned upside down.

_See Ginny, it's weird, isn't it?_

_Peeing purple is weirder than periods._

_Perhaps._

"Why, what are we younglings talking about over here?"

"Something devious, I presume."

"You presume too well, dear brother."

"Fred, George, do guys pee purple in the morning?" Ginny asked in a daze. The twins replied without missing a beat.

"Of course!"

"Every morning!"

"The best part of our day!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Ginny walked away in a daze. Usually, Hermione would have been more suspicious as to Ginny's strange behaviour, but currently she was staring at Harry with an open mouth.

"Harry, that's not true at all!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Oh, just let me have my fun," Harry remarked.

_Fun?_

_Oh Merlin! You weren't meant to hear that._

"What's wrong Harry?" Hermione asked, "You just turned really pale."

"She wasn't meant to hear that," Harry mumbled to himself.

"What?" Hermione exclaimed, but before Harry could reply, Ginny appeared behind him, scooped up his plate of sauce slathered bacon and eggs and smooshed it in his raven hair. Harry just sat there with a guilty, disgusted look on his face as sauce dripped down onto his clothes.

"That's what you get for tricking me," Ginny said coldly, before stalking away. Fred and George followed her all too eagerly though.

"Did you know that guys also use their cut toenails as razorblades?"

"And that every summer we shed our chest hair?"

"Hey, Gin Gin!

"Wait up!

"I don't get it," Hermione said to herself, glancing at Ginny's retreating form, and then at Harry's food splattered body. "Harry didn't say anything about purple stuff at all. Why did she blame him?"

Harry didn't answer, choosing to instead begin the walk of the shame to the dormitories to shower and change clothes.

* * *

The first morning of Hogwarts had been eventful to say the least.

Harry could feel Ginny's foul mood throughout the link as he headed for Care of Magical Creatures, the first class of the day. He had been used to Ginny's bad mood swings throughout the Summer Holidays, but for some reason, her temper was even more… extreme than usual.

He winced as a barrage of wizard swears assaulted his mind. The redheaded voice in his mind was loud, angry and shrill, a terrible combination. It was slowly making Harry more and more cranky.

"What do you think Hagrid will show us?" Hermione asked excitedly, practically skipped across the grounds to Hagrid's Hut, the meeting location for Care of Magical Creatures.

"Don't know," Harry grumbled in response.

"Hopefully it's not Norbert," Ron said, shuddering at the thought.

"That'd be better than her," Harry muttered, but thankfully neither of his friends heard him.

_Hey! Don't make me start all over again Potter!_

_Oh, just shut up!_

_What did you just tell me to do?_

_To shut up!_

_Excuse me, but who is the one in chronic cramp pain right now?_

_And who's the one with a chronics, pounding headache?_

_Oh, go suck Merlins left-_

Harry tried to drown out her rant as Hagrid began his class. Irritatingly enough, it was harder than he anticipated. It seemed that if one of the bonded really wanted to communicate with the other, there was no way to stop them. Right now, Ginny really wanted to "communicate" with Harry

_And then you can go and take the wicked witches broomstick and shove it up your-_

"Welcome ever'one," Hagrid said cheerfully to the students surrounding him. Everyone replied in kind, except for Draco and his gang.

_Take a stick of dynamite and light it in your-_

"Now, I though' teh make the class really interestin', I'd show yeh a really dangerous creature," Hagrid announced, and Ron and Hermione glanced at each other in a panic. They had never heard Hagrid call a creature dangerous before. Not Norbert the dragon. He had been cuddly. Not Aragog the giant acromantula. He had been fuzzy.

_And an animated puppet will slap you inside your head so hard you'll be hearing-_

"Carefu' now," Hagrid said cautiously, edging towards the back of his hut, to where a wooden picket fence enclosed a small pen. Within the pen was a two foot tall, bleating, fluffy, yellow sheep. It had inky black legs, and shiny horns poking out of its head, but otherwise it seemed completely harmless.

"This here, is one of the most dangerous creatures you will ever encounter," Hagrid said seriously. "His name is Meepy."

_And a lightning bolt will strike the very place you-_

Meepy bleated pathetically. It strolled over to the edge of the picket fence and rubbed its shiny horns against the wood. Parvati let out a soft "ooo", and reached out a hand.

"What do yeh think yer doing!" Hagrid roared, leaping over to the fence, and with a solid palm, pushing Parvati away, also knocking her to the ground

"Are yeh crazy? Are yeh trying teh get yerself killed?" Hagrid said in a panic, glancing around, as it to see if anyone had seen what had just happened.

"Yeh know what, perhaps Meepy was a little too dangerous to show teh thir'-years. Let's go elsewhere, and I'll show you something much less dangerous.

_I'll shrink your pants until they're choking your-_

A horse pawed at the ground nervously, eyeing the many students around him warily. His powerful eagle wings fluttered around him protectively, while he threatened anyone that approached him with his sharp beak.

"Now, this 'ere is Buckbeak. E's a hippogriff, and absolutely harmless," Hagrid announced. Hagrid held out an arm to the creature, who bit own harshly around the giant arm. Hagrid just chuckled however, despite the beak tearing through his moleskin jacket.

"See, friendly as can be!"

_Then I hope a raging hippogriff mauls you._

_That one might actually happen._

_Good!.. Wait, what?_

"Who wishes we were back with Meepy," Ron murmured.

"Who wants teh give Beaky a pat?" Hagrid asked loudly.

"I do," Harry said, answering Ron.

"Excellent Harry! Ten points to Gryffindor for volunteerin'." Hagrid announced.

"Volunteering? Wait a minute," Harry began, but his protests were overrun when Hagrid placed a solid palm on Harry's small back and pushed him towards the ferocious creature.

"Now, jus' make sure you bow and maintain eye contact, or he'll try and attack yeh," Hagrid instructed.

"I thought you said he was friendly," Harry squeaked, his voice cracking.

"He is," Hagrid replied.

"But then why-"

"Quick Harry! Bow!"

Realizing his life was once again in danger, Harry quickly followed the instructions and bowed, keeping his eyes trained on Buckbeak's fierce yellow eyes.

Buckbeak didn't seem to happy to have some runt within it's personal space, and Harry could see the creature tense in preparation to strike out with it's claws. Suddenly, Ginny's raw anger and frustration leaked through the chord, created fierce vibrations within Harry. Harry glared at Buckbeak, daring it to attack him.

Buckbeak flinched as it saw the glare in Harry's eyes that reminded it so much of it's mother glare. Buckbeak's mother was horrifying, obviously as much as Ginny was, for Buckbeak quickly knelt down to Harry, submitting dominance.

"There yeh go, piece o' cake," Hagrid said proudly, thumping Harry on the back, obviously not aware that his harmless pet had almost assaulted Harry. "Now how about you take 'im for a ride?" Hagrid suggested, but the way he was acting clearly showed that it wasn't a question.

However, Harry was still vibrating with Ginny's tightly coiled anger that she was able to keep controlled on the outside, but not within her mind.

"No!" Harry snapped, stamping his feet on the ground. "Nuh uh. Nope. Not happening. Not now. Not ever." Hagrid looked crestfallen, but Harry didn't give mercy. "No!" He finished angrily. Hagrid didn't just look crestfallen, but absolutely devastated. Harry could almost spot tears welling up in the big man's beetle black eyes.

_Aw, damnit. We made him cry._

_You. You made him cry._

_Nuh uh. This is your fault as much as mine Ginny… You're telling me you have to go through this every month?_

_Yeah, that's what Mum said._

_And that means I'm going to become really moody along with you every month._

_Looks like it._

_I hate periods._

_Welcome to the life of a girl._

Hagrid finally burst into tears, leaving the class in an utter disgrace. Harry groaned. He had to do something. Malfoy and his cronies burst into laughter, insulting Harry's first ever friend. That only solidified his determination. He was going to apologize to Hagrid, but first…

"Look at that beast of a man blubber. How pathetic-" A loud slap resonated through the clearing as Harry's open hand left a clear imprint on Malfoy's cheek. The class stood in shocked silence.

"Harry just slapped Malfoy," Parvati whispered.

"_Harry_ just slapped _Malfoy_," Pansy whispered.

"Harry just _slapped_ Malfoy," Lavender exclaimed, emphasizing the word 'slapped' with a squeal.

"Harry, don't tell me you actually went and dressed up as a girl that time?" Seamus said nervously.

"He must've," Dead added warily, "only girls slap people."

Harry stalked away, muttering under his breath about periods and mood swings, creating only more evidence for the other students that Harry may have been sleeping in the wrong dorms.

* * *

Harry skipped lunch to go apologize to Hagrid. Even without Ginny breathing down his mind, he had been planning on it anyway. He was pretty hungry however; hungry enough that he might just have to eat some of Hagrid's cooking.

_Boys._

Having learned that it was not wise to argue with Ginny on her period, he didn't reply to her comment. It didn't help that Ginny could hear his complete thought processes for this decision, but she found the restraint within her to not berate him.

_How are we ever going to live like this?_

_I don't know._

Harry raised his fist to knock upon Hagrid's giant wooden door, but it suddenly swung inwards, revealing none other than Macnair.

"Now Hagrid, just remember. If any of your 'pets' harm anyone, I'll be the first to know," Macnair said, smiling with his missing tooth smile.

"A'right, I heard ye the firs' time," Hagrid grumbled angrily, before spotting Harry. "Ah, there ye are Harry, ah got somethin' to talk to yeh about. S'cuse me Macnair." Hagrid grasped Harry by the arm and dragged him inside, simultaneously giving Macnair a nudge, sending him stumbling down the stairs, and slamming his front door shut.

"Bloody fool," Hagrid growled, stomping towards his tea kettle, causing the various implements hanging from the roof of his cabin to shake wildly.

"He wasn't threatening you, was he," Harry asked, concerned.

"O' course not," Hagrid grumbled, "He was jus 'warning' me. Stupid oaf. He hear' a little abou' my firs' lesson. Seemed pretty eager to tes' out that axe of his."

"About that Hagrid," Harry began nervously, "What happened in class today-"

"Don't say anythin' Harry. I understand now. Yeh knew wha' would happen if somethin' happened, and tha' Macnair would involve himself straigh' away. Yer a good man Harry."

"No, actually, Hagrid I meant to say that I'm sorry-"

"Yer parents would be proud of yeh Harry. Lily was always lookin' after me," Hagrid said wistfully.

"Hagrid, I'm sorry for making you cry-"

"Never change Harry," Hagrid said, clapping him on the back.

_Just give up. It's a lost cause._

_But I really want to apologize._

"Ah can't wait until yeh find the righ' girl. I'm sure you'll be as happy as yer Dad when yeh do," Hagrid continued, completely ignoring Harry.

…_how do you think that will work?_

_How what will work?_

_When I find the girl I like? How will I spend time with her when you're always in my mind?_

_Oh, I don't know! But I'm sure you'll figure it out just fine Harry!_

_Merlin, what's your problem… right, right, I remember mood swings._

_You're an idiot, Harry._

Hagrid was looking at Harry expectantly, making him realize he had zone out.

"Er, sorry Hagrid, what was that?"

"Treacle tart?"

"Yeah, sure, I'm starving."

_Boys._

* * *

Ron and Hermione commented that after lunch Harry was oddly quiet. Harry could have told them that it was because Hagrid had told him so many stories about his parents that he was feeling rather reminiscent. He could have explained to them that there was an angry voice in his head berating him. He could have tried to explain that he had just begun to notice some of the girls around him.

The truth was that his jaws were stuck together with treacle tart.

_And it's completely your fault._

_I was hungry!_

_Oh, how I wish I could treacle tart your mind and stop your complaining._

_Shut up Ginny, I'm trying to pay attention to McGonagall._

_And I'm trying to pay attention to Snape, who do you think is in the worse position._

"Mr. Potter, do you think you could summarize what I have just said?" McGonagall asked, giving him a cold look as she peered over her glasses at him. He tried to speak, he honestly did, but the treacle tart was too powerful.

"That's what I thought, Mr. Potter. Please stop day dreaming, and focus on transforming your goblet into a guinea pig."

"Swipe and jab," Hermione whispered from beside Harry.

"And make sure you pronounce it the same way she does," Ron said, a little less softly from his other side. "We all remember what happened when I didn't." All three smiled when they remembered the troll from first year.

_I can't believe you actually took on a troll._

_Just pay attention to your potion._

…_Oh no, I just transformed my cauldron into a guinea pig._

Harry was then forced to listen to Ginny listen to Snape demean her for the next ten minutes. In addition to being mute, and struggling to concentrate on what McGonagall was saying, he was truly not having a good time.

_I'm the one being shouted at!_

_You shouldn't have transformed the cauldron then!_

_I can't help it! I can hear everything that you're thinking, and when all you're thinking about is swish and jab…_

"Mr. Potter, would you mind reciting just exactly what you have been writing down?" McGonagall asked, standing dangerously close to his desk. He looked down at his paper, and was shocked to realize that he had written down perfect instruction in how to brew a swelling solution. His head snapped up to McGonagall, and he tried to explain, but no words came out. His jaws were locked into place.

"That's what I thought, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, sighing disappointedly. "I would never have thought you would be doing work for Professor Snape during my class." McGonagall truly looked sad, as if she had lost her favourite pupil, which made no sense to Harry, because Hermione was surely McGonagall's favourite.

_If he doesn't shut up in the next minute, I am going to hex him._

_Ginny, don't do it! You'll be in detention for the rest of the year._

_I don't care! I'm going to do it! Watch me Harry, watch me make history!_

Nevertheless, when class ended, both Harry and Ginny were feeling incredible miserable. Snape was still curse-free, McGonagall still depressed, and Harry and Ginny absolutely confused as to what on earth they were meant to have learnt during their class.

Next class was no better. Ginny went to Herbology while Harry went to Defence against the Dark Arts with Professor Lupin. Ginny spent half the lesson trying to muttering the word 'ridiculous' under her breath, while Harry had his hand over his ears every time Ginny pulled a mandrake out of a pot. By the end of the lesson Ginny had lost twenty house points for being disrespectful in class, and Harry had been requested by Professor Lupin to visit the hospital wing for his 'headache'.

The troubles didn't end there either. Dinner was a haggard affair in which Harry and Ginny were simultaneously and equally cranky with anyone that talked to them. Ron commented that he preferred Harry when he was eating treacle tart, and Hermione commented that she's prefer Ron if he just didn't eat food at all, because it was gross when he talked and spoke.

Harry and Ginny tried to put as much distance between them after dinner, even though they knew that wouldn't help their situation much. Harry ended up in the library, struggling to read through Hermione's transfiguration notes, while Ginny attempted to write her potions essay on the swelling solution.

It was impossible.

Harry was forced to stop reading the notes once Ginny became angry with him once again. She had more scratch marks than words on her essay because she kept writing down what was Harry was reading.

When they eventually went to their separate sleeping areas, they found no peace from one another. There were no sweet "good nights" or "sleep wells". There was hours of grumbling however as they struggled to fall asleep.

When they awoke on Tuesday and made their way to breakfast, Harry was surprised that Hermione hadn't begun to notice a pattern between her two friends. However, Hermione looked just as tired as they did. She carried suitcases under each eye as she ate breakfast while studying her ancient runes textbook.

The day proceeded in the same fashion as yesterday. Harry even made another professor cry, but it was professor Trelawny, so no one seemed to care too much. Snape sneered at Harry when he accidently levitated his cauldron, spilling the contents over Seamus and Dean, who had forgone paying attention, and were instead smuggling various ingredients to ferment into alcohol.

Harry had to admit that he was curious as to what moonstone and murtlap essence alcohol would taste like. He was doubtful that such objects could ferment, but Seamus assured them that there was a spell to ferment anything. Unfortunately for them, when Snape vanished Harry's spilt potion, he also, unknowingly, vanished the smuggled ingredients.

Sleep was even worse that night. Harry received one of his vivid nightmares, involving his mother screaming, someone laughing, and Sirius Black, standing there, laughing. When he awoke in a panic, sweat trickling down his body, he woke Ginny up. She hadn't been happy to say the least, but she made an effort not to snap at Harry. Or, perhaps she was just too tired to make the effort.

The third day of Hogwarts, a Wednesday, marked a spectacular event however. Harry could almost feel himself beaming as he made his way down to the breakfast table.

"Why hello there fine gentlemen and lady," Harry said cheerfully, causing Ron and Hermione to stare dumbstruck at him.

"Er, are you alright mate?" Ron asked warily.

"Am I alright? Why, I've never been better. Today is a good day to skip alongside sunshine and wrestle with werewolves if I do say so myself."

"Maybe you should visit Madame Pomfrey," Hermione said, worried about her friend's strange behaviour.

Harry just shrugged her off however. He knew exactly what was happening to him. His lack of sleep was making him delirious, and the fact that Ginny was off her period was making him deliriously happy.

_Shut up Harry._

Unfortunately, she was still cranky-tired.

Still, Harry wouldn't let anything bring him down. He even gave Malfoy a cheerful wave as he passed him and his goons in the hallway. The photo Colin had snapped of Malfoy's shocked face was immediately pinned up in the Gryffindor common room for all to see.

Classes began once again, and although Harry lost countless points for being distracted, and somehow being able to perfectly recite what happened during the thirteenth Goblin revolution of 1789. Ginny lost points for casting _waddiwassi_ at Professor Binns after Harry witnessed the amusing demonstration by Professor Lupin. They each handed in their assignments that were due that day, and winced when the teachers frowned at their work.

_I didn't wince; I was smiling the whole time._

_That's why they were looking at you extra weirdly Harry._

Sleep was lost once again, this time by Ginny, who awoke after a vivid nightmare of Tom and a giant basilisk. Harry tried his best not to grumble at her, as he remembered that she had tried not to snap at him last night.

Before that day, they had yet to enter the Great hall at the same time. Partly because they didn't want to draw any attention to any connection the two might have, and partly because they couldn't stand one another. However, that Thursday, they stumbled in together, looking worse for the wear. Harry had his cloak on inside out, and Ginny had only managed to capture half of her hair in a ponytail.

They sat down beside each other, mirroring Ron and Hermione, and with an identical sigh, dug into their breakfast with minimal enjoyment. Ron just greeted them and turned back to his food, not quite noticing anything out of the ordinary until Hermione nudged him in the ribs.

"Ow, wha' was that for?" Ron asked, before noticed Hermione's pointed look. "Oh, Ginny, you look terrible- ow! Stop it Hermione!"

"You're not meant to say that to a girl!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Well, what else was I meant to say? She looks bloody terrible," Ron argued. The two then forgot about Harry and Ginny as they bickered, which suited the two just fine, as they were in no real desire to talk.

Classes began, and the two quickly began dreading the moment that their assignments would be returned. They were right to dread the moment too. They both received their various assignments with a large, inky red 'T' in the top right corner.

"Mr. Potter, I don't quite understand," Professor McGonagall said heavily, "Your essay seems more applicable to your second year basis of knowledge, not what we've been discussing in class this year."

However, no matter how bad Harry felt, Ginny was struggling even further. It seemed that Ginny's mind had been tampered with far more by Tom Riddle than she had earlier realized. The blanks in her memory that Tom had left when he possessed her were only the beginning. It turned out that she had practically no memory of her first year classes.

Flitwick was amazed that Ginny could cast a perfect _wingardium leviosa_ charm, but was unable to write even the basics on how the charm operated. It was impossible for Ginny to explain, only Harry could understand why, and that was because he was directly feeling her frustration.

_It's kind of like how we learnt to walk as a child, isn't it?_

_What do you mean by that, Harry?_

_Well, do have any knowledge of learning how to walk? I mean, do you remember the processes you went through to gain the ability to stand, and walk, and balance?_

_No, of course not, I was too young._

_Exactly, you don't remember, and yet you can still walk. It's just like how you can cast all those first year charms._

_Of course! That's exactly it Harry! Just because I learnt how to cast them, doesn't mean I have to remember how I learnt to! Now, how am I going to explain this to Flitwick…_

Flitwick was eventually convinced of her conundrum, but with his parting words, he implied that he expected Ginny to quickly improve. The other professors were no gentler either. They all seemed unable to grasp the concept that Ginny had no knowledge of her first year.

_It's almost like they forgot the Chamber of Secrets even existed._

_Perhaps that's their tactic though. If they act like it never happened, perhaps the students will forget too._

_I guess it makes it less traumatic for some of them._

_For some of them…_

Harry was feeling miserable at dinner. Hermione was chattering on about her essays, and how she felt she could have improved them, despite the glaring 'O's that littered her papers. Ron had managed to scrape away with 'A's, and was so used to Hermione's ranting that he blocked it out, and concentrated on his kidney and steak pie. It was the first time that Harry truly felt himself getting annoyed by Hermione's talking.

Ginny wasn't enjoying herself much either. She has spent the first several days sitting with the first years, acting as a kind of mature role model for them. It wasn't by choice though. All the other Gryffindor's were either too old for her to sit with, or were too scared of the rumours they had heard about her from last year. The only one's who didn't flinch away from her had been the first years.

Now however, some of the older students had obviously mentioned to them about the dark deeds of the red headed witch. Ginny had sat down with the usually chatty first years, but the immediate silence that surrounded her was indication enough that she wasn't wanted.

Both Harry and Ginny dragged themselves back to the common room, feeling isolated from the rest of the school. It didn't help their moods that once they settled down in front of the crackling fire place they had nothing left to do but more assignments.

_That's it. I'm done with this! I just dealt with one monster, and now I've got this one in my way!_

_Hey! Stop calling my period a monster._

_Come on, we're going to get this done properly._

_What do you mean?_

_If we can't concentrate on different things at the same time, then we'll just both have to work on the same assignment at the same time._

_But we're in different years. We have different things to write about…_

_That's fine, we have all night, right?_

_Well, it's not like we sleep well anyway._

_That's the spirit Ginny! Now, I think we're going to need the library for some of this._

_Does this mean I finally get to see it?_

_I know that I said over the holidays that I would never let you use it, I think this emergency is more important._

_I get to use the invisibility cloak_⁓ _I get to use the invisibility cloak_⁓

_Alright, enough singing. Stay by the fire, I'll come pick you up._

Soon enough the two were clumped together under the cloak. Harry had his hands gripping the silky material, making sure it covered the two of them, while Ginny stood behind him, hands gripping the back of his shirt as they shuffled along.

_This is so awesome_⁓

_Isn't it? Oh, quiet, it's Mrs. Norris._

_Can we feed her a fish with some of Fred and George's inflatable powder in it? Please?_

_I said quiet, I don't want her to here us._

Ginny sent waves of amusement throbbing through the chord, causing Harry to smile.

_Right, I guess we can talk as much as we like, can't we._

_We sure can._

_It's our little secret then Ginny._

Harry felt a flood of affection seep through him as Ginny smiled, gripping the back of his shirt tighter.

_Yep, our little secret._

They arrived at the library, still chatting to each other comfortably. Harry couldn't help but keep the smile off his face as he listened to Ginny devise plans to keep Madame Pince away from them all night.

It really wasn't that late, only nine in the night, but it was curfew, and so the candles were dimmed and the library was empty. Harry and Ginny crept over to a table in the far back corner of the library. It was a strange little spot, surrounded by four walls of bookshelves, the only entrance being a little gap between shelves. Even when they lit a lamp, the flickering light barely escaped the room.

_Awesome, now let's get studying._

Ginny giggled, a sound Harry found quite pleasant. Sure, it was incredibly girly, but it was Ginny being incredibly girly, something that didn't happen too often.

_I never thought I'd be this excited about studying._

Together they scanned the shelves for the books they needed for their subjects. They alternated between pulling out books that they thought were amusing, or embarrassing to the other person. It wasn't Harry's fault that he blushed when Ginny pulled out _Witchcrafty Ways for Womanly Needs_.

Harry wasn't exactly the best student; his memories of first year classes were rather hazy. Combined with Ginny's completely lack of knowledge of her first year, they spent far more time reviewing than actual writing, but they really didn't care. After four days of painful struggling throughout their classes, they were just ecstatic to be learning magic at a comfortable rate.

Harry picked up Ginny's girly disease, and began giggling alongside her as they made a list of potential uses for the floating charm. What began as floating cookies from the cookie jar, ending with floating house elves up to the cookie jar to get cookies for them.

After they had compiled all of the notes needed for Ginny, Harry began reciting them in a more legible fashion while Ginny copied the words directly from Harry's mind. Harry would quickly delve into books, looking for specific details when needed, while Ginny would write on, combining similar topics and devising intriguing opening sentences. It was a most unusual way to write an essay, and they were absolutely confident that what they were doing was completely prohibited, but they simply didn't care.

By the time they had finished with Ginny's essays it was just reaching midnight. There was no need for Ginny to edit her essays, as Harry had been spotting and correcting her mistakes as she wrote, and thus she was done in record time. Even Hermione would be jealous.

They moved onto Harry's work, and although they were worred they would have more trouble with the higher level work, they found it didn't really matter. Ginny's mind was sharper than Harry's, able to connect concepts together that Harry simply couldn't see. They theorized that it probably had to do with Harry's upbringing.

It was the first time Harry had ever spoken about life with the Dursley's calmly.

In fact, they even laughed about it.

By three in the morning Ginny was barely conscious. Harry had built up some fortitude in the past few years in staying up late, so when Ginny finally gave up and passed out he let her be. He rolled his invisibly cloak into a tight bundle and slipped it beneath her head that rested on the table. He had finished his potions, herbology, transfiguration and history essay with Ginny's help, and he was certain he could finish the Professor Lupin's essay on his own.

Nevertheless, it still took far longer to finish than any of the other essays. At four, when the sky was just beginning to change from a pitch black, to a dark, murky gray, Harry was finished, and he had no choice but to nudge Ginny awake.

"Hey, study buddy, it's time to wake up," Harry whispered. Ginny stirred when Harry nudged her shoulder again.

"Mmm, morning Harry," she whispered sleepily, a little bit of drool escaping from the corner of her lip. Her eyes fluttered blearily as she glanced around at her surroundings.

"Oh no, I fell asleep, I'm so sorry Harry!" Ginny whispered frantically. "How much do you have left? I'll grab the notes right away, just hold on." Her hands scanned the table in front of her for their abundance of papers, but couldn't find anything. Harry couldn't help but laugh at her. She looked so frantic, especially with her hair sticking up in odd directions.

"Calm down Ginny, I've got everything packed away here," Harry said, gesturing to his backpack. "And then there's no need to be sorry, you did more than enough work. I only had one essay left to write."

"But you helped me with all of mine, but I didn't help you with all of yours," Ginny murmured sleepily.

"We'll figure something out next time then, alright?"

"Next time?"

"Of course, you didn't think this would be a one off thing, did you?"

Ginny finally smiled at him, her chocolate eyes sparkling happily.

"I like the sound of your voice," she said suddenly, before squeaking and blushing. Harry was mostly oblivious to it though.

"I know what you mean, you sound much different when you talk like this-"

_Instead of like this._

_Yeah, I think I might prefer when we-_

"Talk like this," Ginny admitted, still bright red.

"We'll have to spend more time together than," Harry said simply. The chord thrummed with good vibrations, reminding them that they weren't normal, unlike the rest of the children at Hogwarts, but they were nevertheless happy, and that made everything just fine.

* * *

**Ok, beware the grammar. Maybe I should have said that at the top of the chapter... oh well, too late now.**

**If you think that they're being immature, understand that they are immature twelve year old kids. Writing like that is called being realistic.**

**Hope you enjoyed everything though. I know that I'm enjoying writing this story. Who knows? Maybe I might even finish a H/G soul bond story. Wouldn't that be legendary?  
**

**Cheers**

**-Council**


	6. Breaking The Rules

Part One: The Resistance of the Soul Bond  
Book: The Executor of Azkaban  
Chapter: Breaking The Rules

* * *

Harry and Ginny had a very stress free weekend. They spent most of their time catching up on their lost sleep from the week before. Harry spent all his available time lazing around with Ron, and trying to persuade Hermione to take a break from her extraneous work load. Ginny on the other hand spent her time in solitude, reading a particularly romantic fantasy book.

The few times Harry managed to persuade her to join he, Ron and Hermione (through a consistent barrage of mental thoughts) Ron had quickly sent her away. Harry frowned at his best mate's behaviour. It seemed like only yesterday when Harry didn't care how Ron treated his sister, but now Harry found it bothersome. Harry didn't quite understand it himself, but he thought it probably had to do with the waves of sadness and loneliness vibrating through the chord that he would have to endure afterwards.

Petty problems aside, the weekend ended far too quickly for anybody's liking. Even Dumbledore seemed pretty morose on Monday morning, sighing as he swirled a spoon around in his hot chocolate.

_We'll get our essays back today!_

_You're excited. You sound like Hermione._

_Well, after screwing up my first year, I want to make up for it this year. I'm expecting at least an E, understood?_

_Yes ma'am._

They didn't sit together, separated by countless Gryffindor students, but it didn't matter. They were still connected to each other far closer than any other student. No matter how hard they resisted, they were still forced together.

Ron burst into the great hall, dragging his feet along the ground like a zombie. He looked like he could have still been sleeping, except for the uncanny way he was attracted to the largest pile of bacon.

"Morning Ron," Harry greeted.

"Mmm," Ron replied, scooping handfuls of bacon onto his plate.

Surprisingly, Hermione burst into the great hall next. Her hair was as bushy and frazzled as ever, as if she had been up for hours. Unlike Ron's, which was practically routine, her late entrance was a surprise, as she was usually more awake in the morning.

"Morning Hermione," Harry greeted.

"Yes, morning Harry," she replied distractedly, reaching into her backpack and pulling out an Arithmancy textbook. She froze with her hand halfway in her back though.

"Wait, did you say morning?" She asked, confused.

"Yep, want some breakfast?"

"Oh no!" She moaned, "It's not lunch time," and before Harry could ask what she meant, she was off, running out of the great hall.

"That… was strange," Harry commented. "She seemed pretty shocked it wasn't lunch time."

"I'm like that sometimes," Ron admitted, not thinking it was strange at all, "I walk into breakfast, wishing that I could eat breakfast food and lunchtime food at the same time, and get really sad when I can't."

"…Just keep eating Ron,"

"Good idea," he said, nodding his head in appreciation of the good advice.

Suddenly, Hermione burst into the great hall again, hair still wet from her morning shower. She took her place beside Harry, yawning loudly, before reaching out for some toast.

"Morning Harry," she said tiredly.

"Err, morning again," Harry said. "That was a fast shower." Harry commented. She had only been gone for about thirty seconds.

"I was a little rushed this morning," Hermione admitted, before pulling out her timetable.

_I'm so confused._

_It's fine, you're a boy; you're meant to be confused._

…_right._

However, despite Ginny's teasing, Harry could feel her own curiosity thrumming through the chord. There was more to the mystery of the wet hair than met the eyes.

* * *

Harry entered the great hall with a skip in his step. He even gained a few odd looks as he skipped along to his own merry tune, but he had received even weirder looks in the past few weeks so he barely noticed.

_I got an E in transfiguration and in charms!_

_And I got an E in Defence against the Dark Arts and an E in Potions!_

_And an E in potions is basically an O!_

_We're so amazing!_

_I could hug you right now Ginny._

Although Harry couldn't see it, as Ginny was sitting on the other side of the Gryffindor table, Harry could feel the chord throb with embarrassment, and he could practically feel her blush.

_It was just an expression Ginny._

A sudden, violent twang in the chord caused Harry to flinch.

_Don't say it if you don't mean it!_

_I'm not saying it'd be a bad thing-_

_In fact, you are to stay ten meters away from me at all times._

_But-  
_

_Got it?_

_Yes…_

_That's "yes master"._

_Like hell!_

_Say it!_

_No!_

…_Spoilsport._

They continued to bicker throughout lunch, unable to escape one another's presence, so they resigned themselves to annoying the other. Hermione burst into lunch halfway through, glancing around her nervously, as if avoiding somebody.

"Morning Harry," she said distractedly.

"Morning?"

"Hmm, oh it's lunch time now, isn't it. This is all so confusing," she said, groaning.

"It's simple," Ron tried to explain, "Now that it's lunch time, she's misses her breakfast foods and wishes she could eat them instead. It happens to me all the time."

"Just shut up and eat Ron," Harry replied.

"Good idea."

* * *

Dinner came around, and Harry's spirits were rather deflated after a particularly bad potions class. Snape had once again taken points off of Gryffindor, blaming Harry in the process. Similarly to Ginny, Harry had been a moment away from making history, and hexing Snape.

_And he assigned a three-foot essay due in two days! Three feet! That's more feet than even I have!_

_That's more feet than anyone has, Harry._

_Exactly my point!_

Harry pushed the vegetable around his plate, and he could tell that Ginny was doing the same. Somehow, they got sidetracked from their conversation, and began having a race of who could push their vegetable around the plate fastest. Harry hit the top speed, but the carrot went over the lip of the dish and flew onto Ron's plate, who promptly ate it without hesitation.

_Anyway, back to what I was saying, does a millipede have a thousand feet or a million feet?_

_Harry, I don't care about this feet stuff anymore._

_I do! I'm the one who has to write this three-foot essay._

_We. We have to write it. Together._

_Right. Sorry._

_Don't apologize to me. It's the greasy git's fault._

_So how are we going to do this? If we do all of your work tonight, and all of mine, we won't be getting any sleep._

_How about we just do mine then?_

_Ginny, please only suggest good ideas._

_It was a good idea for me…_

The two sighed, and once again went back to pushing vegetables around their plate. Harry was much more careful not to accidentally feed Ron any more food.

_Wait, I've got it._

What is it Harry?

_How about we just do my work?_

_That was my idea!_

_Oh yeah, it was, wasn't it…_

The two lapsed into a silence which wasn't truly quiet. Errant thoughts flooded through the chord that were impossible for them to stop. It was like trying to fall asleep at night with a very loud air conditioning running, that would splatter ice cold water on you every now and then. In this metaphor, Ginny's temper was the ice cold water.

_Hey!_

_Wait, I've got it!_

…_What is it this time?_

_How about we just do my work?_

_WE'VE ALREADY BEEN OVER THIS!_

Harry almost fell off his chair; something that drew odd looks fro Ron and Hermione. Harry tapped the scar on his forehead, and muttered something about his head hurting, and his friends nodded sympathetically at him, all too used to his strange, scar-induced headaches.

_No, I'm serious. How about we just do mine tonight, all of mine, for the next two days, and then tomorrow we do all of yours, for the next two days. That way we can just concentrate on one person's work, and get it all done._

…_I guess that could work._

_Shotgun doing mine tonight!_

…_shotgun?_

_It's a Muggle weapon._

_Why are we attacking your work with a Muggle weapon?_

_It's just a phrase and… oh never mind. We'll just flip a coin for it. Heads or tails?_

Ginny ended up winning the coin toss, much to Harry's disappointment, but he reluctantly agreed to concentrate on her work for tonight. The two headed back to the common rooms feeling slightly better about their situation, that was, until they saw the announcement pinned to the pin board.

"Check it out Harry, the first Hogsmeade trip has been announced," Ron said excitedly.

"Oh, think os all the possibilities," Hermione said said happily, "We could visit the Shrieking Shack."

"Honeydukes," Ron suggested.

"Learn about the history of the town."

"Visit Honeydukes."

"Try the famous butterbeer."

"Stop by Honeydukes."

Hermione and Ron glared at each other, vying for dominance and trying to prove, through their stubbornness, what part of Hogsmeade was the greatest.

"You two have fun then," Harry said gloomily, "Vernon never signed my permission slip." Ron and Hermione turned to stare at him with aghast eyes.

"Y'mean you forgot to show it to them?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, something like that," Harry said offhandedly. He didn't want to tell Ron and Hermione the real reason why he had no permission slip. It was too embarrassing to talk about his home life. The only person who really knew the reason was-

_Me!_

_Don't sound so happy because of that… and stop butting in all the time._

_Make me._

"So what are you going to do?" Ron asked. By now Seamus and Dean had come over, originally to discuss what to do in Hogsmeade, but now to plan how to get Harry to come.

"I think you should just ask one of the teachers," Dean suggested, "Surely they'll sign it for you. You're Harry Potter after all, no disrespect mate."

"Don't ask the teachers. Just forge your uncle's signature and hand it in. They'll never know." Seamus countered.

Dean launched into a discussion of morals, which Seamus rolled his eyes at, and began playing Ron in a game of exploding snap. Hermione rolled her eyes at the boys and walked off to an empty desk to being her work. Harry was suddenly left with no one to help him.

_You know, I'm still here. Have been for a while, and always will be by the looks of it._

_I know. I'm just trying really hard to ignore you right now._

_God, you're such a… Just go tell Professor McGonagall that you don't have your form signed. What's the worse that could happen?"_

* * *

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said sternly, peering at the boy from over her glasses. It had taken about a week for Harry to gather up the nerve to ask McGonagall, but the answer hadn't really shocked him. It didn't mean he was any less disappointed though.

_But nothing bad happened, right?_

_Now's not the time Ginny. I'm too busy moping._

_At least you're honest about it now._

"Please professor," Harry tried again, but it was futile.

"I'm afraid Mr. Potter, that only a responsible guardian may sign that secure form. That does not include me." Her stern gaze softened slightly. "I am sorry, Mr. Potter. Maybe next year."

_I don't want to next year. I want to go this year._

_Oh, stop grumbling. At least you can spend time with me now._

_I don't want to spend time with you. I want to go to Hogsmeade._

_You never want to spend time with me!_

_I spend all my bloody time with you! How much more do you want?_

They continued to bicker as Harry left McGonagall's office and made his way down the corridor. They would have continued to bicker all the way down to lunch too, if Professor Dumbledore hadn't suddenly stepped around a corner, his eyes twinkling.

"Did I hear something about a responsible person needing to sign something important," He asked cheerfully.

_Perfect! It's Dumbledore! I should have gone to him in the first place._

_No, wait! You can't be serious. He's the Headmaster, he won't break the rules like that._

"You're a responsible adult, right Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"Responsible," Dumbeldore said, thinking about the word. "I haven't been called responsible since I slipped Ice Mice into the beverages at the last Wizengamot annual meeting. However, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm no longer a responsible wizard, does it Harry?"

"Err, no sir. So would you sign my Hogsmeade form then?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Let me have a look at that slip for a moment," Dumbledore said, whipping the paper out of Harry's hand and glancing at it in the sunlight. "Hmm, I see no reason why I shouldn't sign this, I am a responsible adult after all."

_No… it's impossible._

_Ginny, there's a reason why he's the greatest wizard alive today._

"Thank you, sir," Harry said gratefully when Dumbledore returned the paper, an elaborate, loopy signature covering most of the page.

"Not a problem, my dear boy. However," Dumbledore leant in secretly, his blue eyes sparkling, "if a bag of Ice Mice appeared in my office, I would be overjoyed. Wizengamot meetings are such a bore. It would be so much more entertaining to listen to Lucius Malfoy squeak for half an hour instead."

"Of course sir," Harry said, proud to be entrusted with a task from the greatest wizard of all time. Dumbledore nodded proudly at Harry, before standing upright and marching off, humming an offbeat tune. Harry could feel Ginny's displeasure through the chord.

_Every time I meet him I think less of and less of him._

_Really, I'm the exact opposite._

"Oh, and Harry, have you seen your pet dog lately?" Dumbledore asked, stopping before he turned the corner. Harry blinked in confusion. "I believe his name went by Prince."

"Oh!" Harry said, suddenly remembering the strange, black dog that had wound up at Hogwarts weeks ago. "No, I haven't seen him lately, but what about him?"

"When you see him, give him an extra long pat from me, will you? I think he could do with some company," Dumbledore said, and for once, he sounded very melancholic.

"Of course, sir."

_Even when he's serious, he's still weird._

* * *

_I swear to Merlin Harry, if you do one more dive like that, I'm going to grab a broomstick of my own, and stick it up your-_

_Oh, hey, Sleeping Beauty's awake._

Despite flying at top speed on his Nimbus 2000, being pelted by the morning rain, and being yelled at by Wood for being distracted, Harry could still feel Ginny's blush through the chord, vibrating pleasantly.

_You think I'm beautiful?_

_What? No, I didn't mean that. It's a Muggle expression, it means that-_

_He called me beautiful! Harry Potter called me beautiful! Calm yourself girl, he can hear you… And I can hear him calling me beautiful!_

_Oh never mind._

_Careful girl, he can still hear you. Stalker._

Harry could sense Ginny curling herself up in her sheets as she struggled to gain a few more minutes of sleep. It wasn't that he could actually sense what she was doing, but that he could hear her thought processes of the actions.

_Mmm, that feels nice, I should fluff up the pillow more… ahh that's perfect. Oh that feels good when I curl my toes…. Oh yeah, that's the spot._

_You're taunting me on purpose, aren't you?_

_Excuse me? Who's the one who wakes me up every morning you have quidditch practice._

Harry dove towards the ground as he spotted a glint of gold. He sprialled past Fred and George, dodged a quaffle in midflight, and grabbed the snitch out of its flight.

_I thought I told you not to dive like that! That's what wakes me up!_

_Sorry…_

Harry meekly apologized, as it was his fault he woke her up every morning. Every pump of adrenaline that flooded through his body was relayed through to Ginny in a triad of excited vibrations. It was impossible to sleep through something like that.

_I know you are, just know that if Gryffindor doesn't win the cup, you'll be facing my temper._

_That's not much of a threat, I face your temper every day._

_You'll be facing my temper in person, not through this mind-fuddling chord thing._

…_That actually sounds rather threatening._

_Exactly, so make sure you win._

Training eventually ended, and Harry trundled to the great hall, cold, wet and highly envious of Ginny, who had abandoned attempts at sleep, and had instead spent the last thirty minutes having a warm shower. The process was fortunately less awkward than one would have thought for two strangely bonded young teenagers. Funnily enough, when one was in a shower, their thoughts were incredible erratic, and it was impossible to focus in and glimpse any embarrassing details. To do so would result in a headache.

It also helped that Ginny liked singing in the shower. It gave Harry something to concentrate on.

_You like my singing?_

_Every now and then I mistake you for a banshee._

_Hmph._

Harry could tell that Ginny was struggling to hold back her amusement though. He knew that if he were sitting across from her, and not with Ron and Hermione, that he'd be able to see her lips twitching upwards on the right hand side as she struggled not to smile.

_Been paying attention to me, have you?_

_Not at all._

Ron and Hermione were talking excitedly about Hogsmeade. Now it was Harry's turn to hold back a smile.

_Your lips don't change at all, but your eyes widen slightly as you try not to smile. Also, your right eyebrow lifts up slightly._

_Been paying attention to me, have you?_

_Not at all. Just returning the favour._

"What are you smiling for?" Ron asked Harry, and Harry quickly realized that Ginny had made him smile. He tucked away the amused expression, and recovered his mournful, depressed face.

"I was just imagining how amazing Hogsmeade was going to be. You and Hermione don't stop talking about it. You're making it sound brilliant." Harry said, sighing dramatically.

"You're right, it is brilliant," Ron stated, too emotionally dense to realize what Harry was talking about. Hermione elbowed Ron in the ribs, but just ended up hurting her elbow.

"I'm sorry Harry. We'll bring you back lots of stuff, I promise," Hermione promised.

"Oh, right," Ron said slowly, "Yeah, I'll buy you a whole bag of Cockroach Clusters. After eating them, you won't ever want to go to Hogsmeade."

"Thanks guys," Harry said, "It just won't be the same though. I just wish I had my permission form signed!"

_You're really dragging this out, aren't you?_

_Trust me, it will be worth it when they realize._

_Trust you? I'm the one who came up with this idea. Give me some credit._

_I will. I'll buy you a whole bag of Cockroach Clusters._

Breakfast soon ended, and Ron and Hermione eagerly picked themselves up off the streets and made there way to the entrance hall. Harry followed them, struggling not to look too happy. Filch growled at the students as they all passed. He held a marble in his hand that would light up bright red if a student without a signed permission slip tried to leave.

Harry walked right through the doors with Ron and Hermione, the two friends not even realizing as they continued to argue about what was the best part of Hogsmeade. They all climbed into a carriage, the doors shut magically behind them, and the carriages began rolling away across the bumpy, uneven path.

"I'm telling you, Honeydukes and Zonko's is the only reason people go to Hogsmeade," Ron said.

"What about the heritage of the town? People come from all over Englan to visit the Shrieking Shack," Hermione argued.

"I definitely think that Honeydukes is the place to be," Harry interrupted.

"See! Thank you Harry," Ron said exasperatedly. Suddenly the two friends stared at Harry in shock.

"Harry!" Hermione squealed, "You're not meant to be here!"

"Awesome mate," Ron said happily, "How did you sneak past Filch?"

"Bask in the glory, of a signed permission form," Harry said dramatically, withdrawing the slip of paper out from one of his pockets.

"But… who?" Hermione asked weakly.

"Why, none other than Professor Dumbledore," Harry said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

"He can't do that! That's against the rules," Hermione pouted, grabbing the slip from Harry's hand and examining the signature herself.

"That man is a bloody legend!" Ron proclaimed, grabbing the slip form Hermione and kissing the signature.

"Honeydukes, here we come!" Harry shouted.

"Nothing can stop us now!" Ron shouted in agreement.

"But… he's the headmaster," Hermione said weakly, slumping into her seat.

* * *

Ginny wasn't having the best day. For the first time in a long time, she felt lonely. Usually, Harry was constantly bickering with her, or comparing class notes with her, or discussing things while flying in the morning. Now though, well, he wasn't quite ignoring her, as that was impossible with their connection, but he wasn't paying her any attention at all. All the new sights and experiences in Hogsmeade had completely captured his attention. The annoying, whining little voice in the back of his head was unheard. That didn't stop the annoying, whining little voice from continuing to whine though.

Ginny had spent the first half of the morning writing in her diary. She smiled to herself at that. It wasn't just her diary. It was her diary that Harry had given to her.

She didn't have much to write in the diary though. The only things she wanted to write down were those thoughts that she wanted to keep private from Harry, and the things that she managed to keep secret from Harry were minimal. After writing in the diary, she spent the rest of the day moping around, grumbling about Hogsmeade.

Even if she were to go next year, the amazing, first-impression visit that everyone talked about for the rest of their lives would be ruined. She had already experienced everything through Harry's mind. It was ruined, all ruined.

She sighed, and decided that the cold, gloomy winter day outside suited her mood. She grabbed one of the horrendous Weasley jumpers to put on. She winced as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had nothing else warm to wear though. Besides, when did she start caring about how people saw her?

She strolled around outside aimlessly, wondering what more life could use to bring her down. She walked right a by a statue of a man sitting on a tree stump, his axe planted on the ground as he stared out into the distance.

"Why hello there," the statue said, and Ginny jumped as it began moving. She quickly composed herself as she realized that it wasn't a magical statue (which wouldn't have really been that weird) but actually a wizard who had been sitting unnaturally still (which was actually quite weird).

"Oh, you're Macnair, right?" Ginny asked carefully. The man scared her, to be honest. He talked pleasantly, but his rough face and black, spiked hair made his words seem empty.

"That's me, and this here is my axe," he said casually, waving the giant weapon around.

"Err, right," Ginny said warily, eyeing the twirling weapon. "What were you doing out here?" Ginny asked. "Sir," she added quickly.

"Do you see that over there?" Macnair asked, and Ginny turned to where he was pointing. At first she thought he was pointing at Hagrid, as he tended to his rather small garden that grew unnaturally large vegetables.

Then she realized he was pointing at Meepy, the yellow, fluffy sheep-like creature.

"Is it really that dangerous?" Ginny asked curiously.

"That's the thing," Macnair said, with a hint of obsession, "I don't know. I've never seen such a species before. How I'd love to know what it feels like if I beheaded it." Ginny took a step backwards, really worried now. Macnair was strange. Maybe being the Executor of Azkaban did that to a wizard, but that didn't mean Ginny had to like it.

"Hagrid told me that Meepy's incredibly dangerous," Ginny said, struggling to find something to say.

"Did he really?" Macnair said distractedly, "Did you hear that Axe? Dangerous, she says."

Ginny suddenly felt something clamping around her soul. It wasn't a comforting feeling in the slightest, and she glanced around herself in a panic, looking for the source.

"What's wrong girl?" Macnair asked suddenly, his voice concerned.

"I- I don't know," Ginny stammered. She could feel herself paling, and the world was quickly growing dizzy.

_Dementors!_

_Oh… Dementors…_

"Harry's in trouble," Ginny said, staring up at Macnair. She was on the ground suddenly. Had she fallen? She couldn't remember.

"Harry?" Macnair asked, confused.

"Dementors," Ginny panted, "In Hogsmeade."

"Don't be daft girl. I'd know if there were Dementors loose in Hogsmeade…" Macnair had gripped his axe tightly, and suddenly his expression changed to one of urgency.

"Axe!" He swore, "There actually are Dementors there."

Ginny blinked, and Macnair was suddenly gone from her vision. She blinked once more before she finally passed out, Tom Riddle laughing at her all the while.

* * *

Ginny awoke with bleary eyes in a foreign room. It wasn't her dorm room. It wasn't her bedroom in the Burrow. It wasn't even Harry's dorm room, which she practically knew as well as her own dorm room by this point. This room was plain, sterile and smelled like detergent.

Detergent. She remembered that smell. The last time she had smelled it had been right after… right after…

She suddenly felt sick. She tore her eyes open in sudden alertness and glanced around the room for her parents. Last time she had been in the hospital wing they had been there when she woke up. They had hugged her and told her everything would be alright, when everything obviously wasn't. Where were they now? She chocked back a sob when she stared at the empty room.

It was dark. There was no one here. No visitors, no Madame Pomfrey, no one. No one except for-

_Me._

_Harry?_

Harry slowly revealed himself as he slipped the invisibility cloak off of his body. He glanced at her sadly, before holding out his arms suggestively. Ginny couldn't help herself. She leapt off the bed and into his arms. He stood there, slightly shocked by the sudden contact, but slowly relaxed and wrapped his arms around her.

The laughter that had been plaguing Ginny's mind finally melted away, as she melted into Harry's chest.

"You alright?" Harry whispered. Somehow, hearing the words spoken, instead of thought, meant so much more to her at that moment.

"I'm fine," Ginny whispered back, her voice smothered against his chest, "I'm fine now."

_But what are you doing here? Don't you have Quiddich practice in the morning?_

_Mamade Pomfrey told Wood I was to have the day off. He wasn't very happy. Still isn't, mind you?_

_The day off? Why? What happened?_

_Don't you remember? The Dementors attacked me. You managed to tell Macnair, and he somehow arrived in time to repell the Dementors._

Ginny suddenly began remembering it all; the laughter in her head, the coldness in her heart, and the loneliness in her mind.

_Thanks for saving me Ginny. I owe you one._

_Don't worry about it. Thanks for waiting here all night for me._

_Just returning the favour. I thought that after some Dementors, some company might be nice._

_Mmm… it is…_

Harry rubbed his hands soothingly across Ginny's back as he slowly laid her back down onto her mattress. He sat down on the edge of the mattress, and suddenly smiled mischievously as he glanced down at her.

_I notice that I've breached those ten meters of yours._

_That? That was ages ago._

_So, do I get punished now or something?_

Ginny leant forward, and with a quick, awkward movement, placed her lips against his cheek. She tumbled back into her mattress a moment later and buried her head under her pillow as she tried to cover her bright red face.

_There! That's your punishment!_

_Really? It seems like that punished you more._

_Shut up! Idiot!_

Harry reached over, pulled the pillow out from her arms, tucked it under her head, and ruffled her hair affectionately.

_Try and get some sleep. I'll be here the whole time, don't worry._

Ginny smiled as she closed her eyes, pleasant dreams just a breath away. She couldn't wait until she wrote this one down in her diary.

_What was that about a diary?_

_Nothing Harry. Goodnight…_

* * *

**Has it been a while since I updated? It feels like it. I've done so much writing this past week for my other stories and... well.. bleh. Yeah, there we go. Bleh. That about sums it up.**

**On another note, I thought I'd ask my readers, as they're the ones it would affect the most. As I've been writing this story, my tone and writing style has changed dramatically. It was meant to start off being a very serious, not too comedic story, as witnessed by the first chapter. However, the later chapters quickly became comedic stupidity. My question to you guys, "Should I go back and change the first chapter? Write it again so it suits the mood of the story more?"**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I certainly did.**

**_Cheers_**

**_-Council_**


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